When Chris Twite landed in Hobart almost 10 years ago to attend his first Dark Mofo, the hotel receptionist asked the standard, “So, what brings you here?”
“The festival,” Twite answered.
A puzzled look. “What festival?”
A year later he was back and the same hotel was glowing red, fully embracing Dark Mofo as it made its mark on the city. Over the years it’s grown to become one of the biggest events on the national culture calendar, drawing thousands to Tassie for the singular midwinter solstice festival, known for its subversive nature, provocative programming and support of the different and weird.
Fast forward to 2025 and Twite has just delivered his inaugural Dark Mofo line-up as artistic director. For his first program, an extraordinary number of Australian-exclusive events will be landing in Tasmania, offering participatory experiences, art installations and live gigs alongside the festival’s ritualistic holy trinity: Winter Feast, Night Mass and the Nude Solstice Swim.
Twite has spent the past 20 years embedded in some of the country’s leading cultural institutions, having worked with the Sydney Opera House, Sydney Festival, Falls Festival and FBi Radio. After relocating to Tasmania a few years ago, he took up the role of creative director at the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery, then took over the reins at Dark Mofo in 2023.
“The Venn diagram of places you want to be in and jobs you want to do almost never lines up, but in this case it was a perfect match,” he says.
After a brief hiatus last year, the festival is officially back. Tickets went on sale on Wednesday – and plenty of events have already sold out. Thankfully there’s still a lot left you can book, or even see for free without tickets. Late-release tickets will be available on the door for some events, and a surprise offering or two might pop-up before the festival kicks off, too.
Fresh off the announcement of the massive 2025 program for Dark Mofo, Twite shares some of the Australian exclusives he’s most excited about.
Crash Body by Paula Garcia (Brazil)
Over two hours, performance artist Paula Garcia and a stunt driver will move around the expansive and natural outdoor theatre of the Regatta Grounds before entering separate cars and performing a vehicular dance of sorts: a tightly choreographed exchange of near misses, building towards a visceral, head-on collision. Backed by a soundscape and free for all ages, this work has never been performed in front of an audience – the only other time this work has been presented was on the first day of lockdown in Brazil, with no one around to watch.
Tension will build over the two-hour event, with the final impact acting as the climax in what Twite calls “an excruciating watch”. Set against the backdrop of the River Derwent and surrounding hills, the smashed cars will remain on display as an installation following the performance.
Everything is Recorded by Richard Russell and artists (UK)
Hailing from the UK, this collaborative music project will deliver the sounds of solstice to a seven-kilometre radius across Hobart, allowing locals and visitors to experience Dark Mofo from afar. Led by Richard Russell – who’s worked with Radiohead, What So Not, Adele and Bobby Womack – the project brings together a series of formidable musicians to create meditations on the winter solstice, exclusively for the festival.
Utilising a broadcast system typically reserved for emergencies, Dark Mofo is the first arts organisation in the world to repurpose it for creative use, delivering the soundscape across Hobart’s CBD and beyond.
SORA by Nonotak (France, Japan)
Twite’s excited for Dark Park’s return to Macquarie Point for 2025, albeit in a reimagined configuration with new streets and buildings in use. In one of these giant warehouses, installation and performance studio Nonotak’s work SORA – which translates to “sky” in Japanese – will unfold.
With a ceiling covered in kinetic, glowing arms and a cinematic, purpose-composed soundtrack, the work reflects the complexity of the sky. The lights move as if propelled by an invisible wind, shifting from soft and beautiful movements to thunderous and powerful ones. The artists explain that this work experiments with endless motion, leading to a contemplative and hypnotic experience for the audience.
Because the knees bend by Paul Setúbal (Brazil)
“To get to this work,” Twite says, “you’ll need to enter a nondescript building, descend some stairs, and find yourself in a giant bank vault.”
From there, you’ll weave your way through a maze of sorts, arriving in a stark white hallway. Setúbal, a performance artist from Brazil, will be dressed in a black balaclava and tactical clothing, and wield a giant baton when he greets you there. As he channels and transfers violent energy and actions into the space around him, visitors are invited to cross a symbolic yet personally non-threatening threshold of aggression.
“This artwork brings you face to face with the role of the authoritarian, and how you engage with that force is a real moment of tension,” Twite says. “I think people are going to have some interesting experiences.”
Show Me The Body (USA)
When asked which dance floor we’ll find him on, Twite says he’s “personally excited for Show Me The Body”. For the uninitiated, the American three-piece has amassed a cult-like following for their intense, high-energy performances. And they’ll be bringing their all to the Odeon for one night only. “They’re hardcore … with a banjo. It’s so intense.”
Broadsheet is a proud media partner of Dark Mofo. Tickets are on sale now at darkmofo.net.au.
Broadsheet Access will release more off-market, VIP Dark Mofo packages on April 24. They'll include experiences unavailable to the public and tickets to key events that invariably sell out – like the debaucherous Night Mass.
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