Coffin rides help bring Dark Mofo festival back to life
Artist Simon Zoric's Coffin Rides performance piece in Hobart resulted from the realisation that humans spend more time lying in these six-foot boxes after death than they do being alive.
"I find it strange that you would spend all this time in a coffin but never know what it felt like," Zoric said.
Early figures show Dark Mofo has already welcomed 210,000 visitors, an improvement of some 30,000 on the first week of the festival's last full-scale program in 2023.
The event took a little lie down itself in 2024 to contend with a massive hike in production costs, but the first few days of the 2025 festival show Hobart's main winter attraction is back at full force.
"I do think interest this year is very strong, and perhaps last year had something to do with that," Dark Mofo executive director Melissa Edwards said.
Attendance peaked at more than 16,000 people Saturday evening, and artistic director Chris Twite says the feedback so far has been great.
"I get a chance to talk to people on the street and see the city alive and full," he said at a media event on Thursday.
"I think a lot of people are really excited - locals and businesses and tourists."
The excitement is happening under the eyes of an unmissable five-metre-high giant hand/face sculpture affixed to the roof of a hotel on the Hobart waterfront.
Ronnie Van Hout's sculpture Quasi was controversial during its original installation in Christchurch - it looks a little bit like Donald Trump, or possibly Elon Musk - and it is yet to be seen whether the artwork will meet with the general approval of Hobartians.
An exhibition at MONA by artist Arcangelo Sassolino has attracted more than 11,000 people across four days to see liquid steel - heated to 1500C - showering from the ceiling of a darkened gallery.
The festival's second week features DIIV and The Horrors at Hobart's Odeon Theatre, and Methyl Ethel at the Princess Theatre in Launceston.
Also still to come are the traditional winter feast and Ogoh Ogoh procession, during which a giant model Maugean skate is set on fire, followed by the Nude Solstice Swim on June 21.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Sydney Morning Herald
31-07-2025
- Sydney Morning Herald
‘Like seeing society unravel': Kirsha Kaechele's unlikely return to the Gold Coast is a genius fit
The first time Kirsha Kaechele visited the Gold Coast, on one of her early trips to Australia about 15 years ago, she was mortified. 'I was depressed. I felt suicidal. I thought, 'this is the fall of Western Civilisation',' the American-born artist and curator says. Whether earnest or exaggerated (with Kaechele, the line is often imperceptible), her frank impression cuts to a familiar feeling. For all its beauty, gaudiness remains a hallmark of Queensland's storied Glitter Strip. 'I walked the mall and must have passed a McDonald's or some kind of fast food chain,' Kaechele says. 'I felt like I was seeing society unravel … I vowed never to come back.' Kaechele, now an Australian resident after marrying Museum of Old and New Art (Mona) founder David Walsh in 2014, has evidently faltered on her pledge, returning to the Gold Coast for the interstate debut of Ladies Lounge, one of her most celebrated works. The living installation, part of Mona's program since 2020 and the source of much controversy, including two court cases, will enjoy a 10-day residence at the Home of the Arts (HOTA) as part of this year's Bleach* festival. 'I got a call from [Brisbane artist and Bleach* artistic director] Michael Zavros, whom I respect and adore as an artist, and he asked if I would participate in this exhibition,' Kaechele explains. 'He had been forced by his daughters to invite me. [They] really run the show.' Loading In contrast to her views on Cavill Avenue, Kaechele speaks highly of HOTA – 'this museum is excellent,' she says – and the city's suitability to host her work. 'I've always been attracted to a challenging or unlikely context for my work,' she says. 'As a cultural destination, I had no interest whatsoever in visiting the Gold Coast. But as a context for artwork, I found it fascinating and far more interesting than other invitations I received from Sydney or Melbourne.' Kaechele was taken by the city's reputation for 'toxic masculinity' and flagrant displays of shirtless machismo, but first she wanted Gold Coast City Mayor Tom Tate's blessing. 'We met for drinks – he slammed cognacs, I slammed margaritas,' Kaechele says, though the mayor's team did not verify this anecdote. 'I expressed that I was really concerned about the possibility of the Gold Coast being sued. This is a public institution, it's not Mona, so there's a responsibility in taking on an artwork like this.' Last year, NSW man Jason Lau complained to Equal Opportunity Tasmania after being denied entry to the Ladies Lounge – an art-filled space that only admits women – during a visit to Mona in April 2023. The matter was referred to the Tasmanian Civil and Administrative Tribunal, and Mona was ordered to either close, remove, reform or allow men to enter the lounge. Kaechele opted to close the space and appeal to the Supreme Court of Tasmania. In September, Acting Justice Shane Marshall ruled the lounge was not in breach of anti-discrimination law and permitted the installation to re-open and continue refusing entry to men. According to Kaechele, Tate was not dissuaded by the legal saga, even volunteering to be a butler, a role that sees men permitted to the lounge to dote on female guests, pouring champagne and offering massages. Kaechele is adamant Tate will make a cameo as a butler, alongside American contemporary artist Jeff Koons, who also features on the Bleach* lineup. Tate, meanwhile, tells this masthead: 'I did apply for the butler job at the Ladies Lounge, but I was rejected!' As for what visitors can expect, Kaechele says the Gold Coast installation maintains its original vision, 'to create a special, intimate and deeply bonding experience for women' and 'an experience of rejection for men'. It's an important part of the work, she says, though she adds her exclusionary stance has somewhat softened as a result of court proceedings. 'I heard men when they said they were upset that they couldn't come in, so I've adjusted the artwork slightly to include a butler training area outside of the Ladies Lounge, where men may apply for a position.' This will see men practice their massage and ironing skills, the latter while holding a 'baby' in the form of a smooth solid bronze sculpture. 'The ones who are really good at all of the tasks, and look good in a tuxedo and have wonderful manners … can come in as butlers,' Kaechele says. Loading The Ladies Lounge will be accompanied by The Complaints Department, a new installation from Brooklyn-based multidisciplinary artist and long-time collaborator Tora López. Described as Severance meets customer service centre, the performance piece is an invitation for anyone to air their frustrations, so long as they have direct experience and knowledge of the issue they are complaining about. López said the project was born out of an 'intense' legal housing situation in New York. 'I had to complain so much through city agencies and through a lawyer,' she explains. 'So I got interested in complaining and learning how to complain, and what makes a good complaint.' Kaechele is no stranger to complaints, and has welcomed criticism of her work, including during her legal dispute with Lau. 'He's the Ladies Lounge's Prince Charming. He kissed the work and brought it to life,' she says. 'If it wasn't for Jason Lau, the work would have had a much smaller life.' And if she's worried about how a feminist work might land in a once-detested destination teeming with hypermasculity, she certainly doesn't show it. 'It's the most uncomfortable piece I've ever done, [and] for the questioning visitor, there are many problematic layers,' Kaechele says. 'But a key part of the work, and maybe my favourite part, is that I really enjoy myself. I'm a hedonist, so I love going in, getting my feet massaged, looking at these handsome men, watching them strip down and having them serve me … it's truly beautiful and transformative.'
The Age
31-07-2025
- The Age
‘Like seeing society unravel': Kirsha Kaechele's unlikely return to the Gold Coast is a genius fit
The first time Kirsha Kaechele visited the Gold Coast, on one of her early trips to Australia about 15 years ago, she was mortified. 'I was depressed. I felt suicidal. I thought, 'this is the fall of Western Civilisation',' the American-born artist and curator says. Whether earnest or exaggerated (with Kaechele, the line is often imperceptible), her frank impression cuts to a familiar feeling. For all its beauty, gaudiness remains a hallmark of Queensland's storied Glitter Strip. 'I walked the mall and must have passed a McDonald's or some kind of fast food chain,' Kaechele says. 'I felt like I was seeing society unravel … I vowed never to come back.' Kaechele, now an Australian resident after marrying Museum of Old and New Art (Mona) founder David Walsh in 2014, has evidently faltered on her pledge, returning to the Gold Coast for the interstate debut of Ladies Lounge, one of her most celebrated works. The living installation, part of Mona's program since 2020 and the source of much controversy, including two court cases, will enjoy a 10-day residence at the Home of the Arts (HOTA) as part of this year's Bleach* festival. 'I got a call from [Brisbane artist and Bleach* artistic director] Michael Zavros, whom I respect and adore as an artist, and he asked if I would participate in this exhibition,' Kaechele explains. 'He had been forced by his daughters to invite me. [They] really run the show.' Loading In contrast to her views on Cavill Avenue, Kaechele speaks highly of HOTA – 'this museum is excellent,' she says – and the city's suitability to host her work. 'I've always been attracted to a challenging or unlikely context for my work,' she says. 'As a cultural destination, I had no interest whatsoever in visiting the Gold Coast. But as a context for artwork, I found it fascinating and far more interesting than other invitations I received from Sydney or Melbourne.' Kaechele was taken by the city's reputation for 'toxic masculinity' and flagrant displays of shirtless machismo, but first she wanted Gold Coast City Mayor Tom Tate's blessing. 'We met for drinks – he slammed cognacs, I slammed margaritas,' Kaechele says, though the mayor's team did not verify this anecdote. 'I expressed that I was really concerned about the possibility of the Gold Coast being sued. This is a public institution, it's not Mona, so there's a responsibility in taking on an artwork like this.' Last year, NSW man Jason Lau complained to Equal Opportunity Tasmania after being denied entry to the Ladies Lounge – an art-filled space that only admits women – during a visit to Mona in April 2023. The matter was referred to the Tasmanian Civil and Administrative Tribunal, and Mona was ordered to either close, remove, reform or allow men to enter the lounge. Kaechele opted to close the space and appeal to the Supreme Court of Tasmania. In September, Acting Justice Shane Marshall ruled the lounge was not in breach of anti-discrimination law and permitted the installation to re-open and continue refusing entry to men. According to Kaechele, Tate was not dissuaded by the legal saga, even volunteering to be a butler, a role that sees men permitted to the lounge to dote on female guests, pouring champagne and offering massages. Kaechele is adamant Tate will make a cameo as a butler, alongside American contemporary artist Jeff Koons, who also features on the Bleach* lineup. Tate, meanwhile, tells this masthead: 'I did apply for the butler job at the Ladies Lounge, but I was rejected!' As for what visitors can expect, Kaechele says the Gold Coast installation maintains its original vision, 'to create a special, intimate and deeply bonding experience for women' and 'an experience of rejection for men'. It's an important part of the work, she says, though she adds her exclusionary stance has somewhat softened as a result of court proceedings. 'I heard men when they said they were upset that they couldn't come in, so I've adjusted the artwork slightly to include a butler training area outside of the Ladies Lounge, where men may apply for a position.' This will see men practice their massage and ironing skills, the latter while holding a 'baby' in the form of a smooth solid bronze sculpture. 'The ones who are really good at all of the tasks, and look good in a tuxedo and have wonderful manners … can come in as butlers,' Kaechele says. Loading The Ladies Lounge will be accompanied by The Complaints Department, a new installation from Brooklyn-based multidisciplinary artist and long-time collaborator Tora López. Described as Severance meets customer service centre, the performance piece is an invitation for anyone to air their frustrations, so long as they have direct experience and knowledge of the issue they are complaining about. López said the project was born out of an 'intense' legal housing situation in New York. 'I had to complain so much through city agencies and through a lawyer,' she explains. 'So I got interested in complaining and learning how to complain, and what makes a good complaint.' Kaechele is no stranger to complaints, and has welcomed criticism of her work, including during her legal dispute with Lau. 'He's the Ladies Lounge's Prince Charming. He kissed the work and brought it to life,' she says. 'If it wasn't for Jason Lau, the work would have had a much smaller life.' And if she's worried about how a feminist work might land in a once-detested destination teeming with hypermasculity, she certainly doesn't show it. 'It's the most uncomfortable piece I've ever done, [and] for the questioning visitor, there are many problematic layers,' Kaechele says. 'But a key part of the work, and maybe my favourite part, is that I really enjoy myself. I'm a hedonist, so I love going in, getting my feet massaged, looking at these handsome men, watching them strip down and having them serve me … it's truly beautiful and transformative.'
Sydney Morning Herald
29-07-2025
- Sydney Morning Herald
The artwork taking flight above one of Sydney's busiest metro stations
The finished artwork, The Seeds of Flight, is open to the public. Completed in the past few months, it reflects his fascination with alternative flight methods. It also captures the dream of floating free from fossil fuels, batteries, lithium, solar panels, helium and hydrogen, which is the goal of Aerocene, the non-profit foundation he initiated. Inspired by Alexander Graham Bell's tetrahedral kite experiments, these sculptures don't just look like they can fly; earlier models have taken flight. The colours are those of the Australian bush, developed with Matt Poll, manager of Indigenous programs at the Australian Maritime Museum. Saraceno said it was an 'artwork that drifts along the rivers of the wind, suspended like stars and planets carrying constellations of life's seeds through the universe … it attempts to remind us that we are all on board this Mother Earth'. 'Together with spores, spiders, birds, eucalyptus trees, can humans also float freely, without lithium or fossil fuels? 'In the interest of the trillions of inhabitants who would like to keep journeying around the sun, might we choose orbits of solidarity over extraction?' Connecting science with art, Saraceno has brought together musicians, scientists, aerospace engineers, ballooning experts, physicists, kite makers and Indigenous elders to reimagine and reinvent our relationship with the air and the earth. Saraceno's interest in spiders resulted in major installations at Tasmania's MONA and Britain's Tate Modern, where his installation Web(s) of Life received rave reviews. As well as major exhibitions and installations, Saraceno has done an international space program at NASA's Ames Centre, studied with the Centre National d'Études Spatiales, Paris, and continues to work with the MIT Centre for Art, Science and Technology in Cambridge. Saraceno founded Arachnophilia, an interdisciplinary research community with MIT and the Max Planck Institute, and recorded the vibrations of spider webs. He then invited musicians to jam with the sounds, to unveil their hidden musicality. He also created the Spider Web Scan – a laser-supported tomographic method – to study the architecture of their webs. Aerocene has broken records for solar-powered flight. In January 2020, Aerocene Pacha piloted by Leticia Noemi Marqués set 32 records for solar-powered flights recognised by the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale. An interview with Saraceno is like being carried along a jet stream. Was he an artist or a scientist? 'I am a little bit of everything,' he said. Saraceno abhors the myth of the lone genius, detests Elon Musk's Starlink with its reliance on fossil fuels, and says the only way to change the world is through collaboration. Loading Single disciplines cannot solve problems such as climate change, global warming and inequality. 'So why don't we try to weave or work together in different ways?' Seeds of Flight, developed by Investa on behalf of Oxford Properties Group and Mitsubishi Estate Asia, took more than two years to design and produce following a 13-month selection process led by curator Barbara Flynn.
