Florentina Holzinger to Unsettle Audiences at Dark Mofo 2023

The Austrian choreographer will push boundaries in a performance that melds motocross, woodchopping, and live sex.

Hobart's mid-winter bacchanal Dark Mofo has announced the lineup of artists, musicians, and events for its tenth edition, which takes place from 8 to 22 June.

'This year's festival will be a reflection of the past decade, and while much has changed, our desire to celebrate the longest nights and embrace winter in Tasmania hasn't wavered. We can't wait to light the fires again this June,' said Creative Director Leigh Carmichael.

'The tenth edition will include the return of Dark Park, a large-scale art program, eight nights of Winter Feast and a massive music program,' he said.

Among the most outrageous offerings this year is choreographer Florentina Holzinger's A Divine Comedy, a two-hour performance featuring 17 female performers at MyState Bank Arena.

'Motocross, woodchopping, nudity, and bodily fluids will feature strongly at this performance,' according to Dark Mofo. A content warning for the show signals nudity, live sex scenes, hazing and strobing effects, and adult content.

People have walked out of Holzinger's past shows, which have included spectacles such as suspension by the teeth and female ejaculation.

'If people come to me expecting an evening of abstract postmodern dance, I fully respect their decision to leave,' she told The New York Times in September. 'I'd rather be left with 10 people in the audience who find it cool.'

Another highlight is Australian artist Jason Phu's Without Us You Would Have Never Learnt About Love, an installation composed of hundreds of jailbroken musical toys that form 'a tragic opera about consumption and materialism'.

John Gerrard's Western Flag, a flagpole spewing a constant stream of black smoke, will be shown on a 10 x10 metre digital screen.

And experimental video duo Soda Jerk bear witness to the spectacle of American politics from 2016 to 2021 in their film Hello Dankness.

Dark Mofo's full programme for 2023 can be viewed on their website. Tickets go on sale from 2pm AEDT today. —[O]