Simple Dark Mofo

A person is silhouetted against a hazy, deep purple and blue light stage while performing for a crowd. Bright spotlights cut through the fog, creating a moody and atmospheric concert setting.

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Altar Bar

Secret’s out, soon.

Dancers in colorful tracksuits perform on a stage with a gold-foil backdrop and large LED screens. Bright blue spotlights cut through the dark venue, creating a high-energy rave atmosphere.

10 Years of The Hakke Show

Gabber Eleganza ITA

Odeon

Hardcore will never die, but you will.

A low-angle shot of five band members standing against a vibrant, swirling psychedelic backdrop of hot pink and lime green. The figures are captured in a stylised, high-contrast edit that emphasises their long hair and eclectic clothing.

Acid Mothers Temple JPN

Altar Bar

Sprawling, improvised psychedelic music from Japan, guided by ‘cosmic translator’ Makoto Kawabata.

All the fires come alive

State Library and Archives of Tasmania

Uncover arcane knowledge, spirits, and alchemy in the collections of the State Library and Archives of Tasmania, where contemporary artists and esoteric texts reignite what’s unseen.

A high-contrast, glowing red sun with visible solar flares and surface textures against a pitch-black background. A prominent solar prominence erupts from the lower left side of the star.

APEX

Arthur Jafa USA

Dark Park

A relentless techno-driven montage fusing pop culture, heroes and villains, history and present into a charged expression of Black life, culture, and resistance.

An artist performs on a dramatic stage filled with orange smoke and bright light, holding a microphone. To the right, a guitarist plays under a sharp beam of light against a backdrop of tall grass.

Baker Boy AUS

Albert Hall Launceston

Hip hop that burns bright and cuts deep.

A close-up of a Gothic-style arched window in a stone building, glowing red with a minimalist neon cross centered in the frame.

Basilica

Come as you are, stay for a drink.

Three women with long, dark hair look directly at the camera, framed by layers of flowing, translucent red fabric that creates a soft, ethereal border. The lighting is warm and hazy, giving the outdoor desert setting a dreamlike, cinematic quality.

Blackwater Holylight USA

Odeon

Grief, grace and grandeur.

Blurred red and purple haze behind a DJ booth.

Borderlands

Eraserhead Xiu Xiu USA, Loscil CAN, amby downs AUS

Odeon

Extreme atmospheres of light and sound, curated by Lawrence English / Room40.

A high-resolution close-up of a rock cross-section showing intricate, wavy bands of deep red, iron-grey, and shimmering gold. The geological layers create a dense, rhythmic pattern of undulating lines across the entire frame.

Breathe

Julian Charrière FRA CHE

Mona

A new artwork built into Mona’s foundations that sees the artist harness a scientific process to release oxygen molecules trapped inside banded iron ore since the Great Oxidation Event some 2.4 billion years ago; and where you, the visitor, will breathe in this ancient air for the very first time it’s ever been breathed since oxygen appeared.

A long, black braided sculpture with a tassel end hangs vertically against a stark white wall above a grey floor.

Breathing

Monica Bonvicini ITA

Dark Park

This sculpture strikes at entrenched power structures.

Four men pose against a wood-paneled wall, including one holding a bright red bowling ball. They are dressed in casual, eclectic clothing, and the lighting is sharp and high-contrast.

Chat Pile USA

Altar Bar

Recoil as Oklahoma City’s sludgy noise rock quartet transforms Altar Bar into a grindhouse slaughterfest of sound.

Three men sit on the floor in front of a massive wall of vintage cathode-ray tube televisions displaying a pixelated green graphic. The room is packed with stacks of electronic equipment and rack-mounted gear.

clipping. USA

Odeon

Unrestrained and brutal.

Four people dressed in dark, minimalist streetwear stand in a courtyard against a textured concrete wall under bright, high-contrast sunlight. Long, sharp shadows stretch across the brick ground as the group poses with a somber, cinematic aesthetic.

Daniel Avery (Live)

Daniel Avery GBR

Odeon

From 90s alt rock to industrial techno, the revered producer and composer channels every corner of his sound in his most ambitious show to date.

A man with bleached blonde hair and red-rimmed sunglasses poses in a high-fashion outfit against a white background. He wears a red shirt with a white star emblem underneath a bulky, multi-toned faux fur coat.

Danny Brown USA

Odeon

Abrasive, experimental rap.

A woman in a blue dress and sunglasses relaxes in a wooden lounge chair on a sunny lawn. In the background, a white-clothed table is laden with food next to a small stone building.

Dark Mofo Films

State Cinema

Transcendence and obliteration, across roads, suburbs, cults, dancefloors and domestic life.

Dark Park

Unmoor yourself.

Four band members pose in a vintage-style room with patterned wallpaper and a lace-covered table featuring a jigsaw puzzle. The lighting is soft and warm, giving the scene a retro, cinematic feel.

Dry Cleaning GBR

Odeon

Off-kilter South London art rock.

Gemini said Two electronic musicians perform in the center of a crowded, dimly lit venue, surrounded by fans and tables overflowing with synthesizers, wires, and gear. Large screens in the background display vibrant visuals and close-ups of the performance, adding to the high-energy, immersive atmosphere.

Êlêctron 45Cc L=20nm W20nm

Lolo & Sosaku ARG JPN

Studio Theatre, Theatre Royal

The Argentine-Japanese duo present a sprawling live performance in the round, where handmade instruments clash and grind, sparks fly, and smoke rises to form intense, hypnotic sound sculptures.

A graining black-and-white photograph shows a person in a light-colored slip dress crouching on a floor. They are positioned in a harsh beam of light that cuts through an otherwise dark, shadowed space.

Eternity the Butterfly

Hayley Millar Baker AUS

Detached

A contemporary Indigenous haunting.

A orange-and-white, high-angle shot shows a thick metal chain stretched horizontally across a floor with contrasting textures. The left side of the floor is covered in a dark, glossy, and textured substance resembling wet paint or tar, while the right side is a light, matte, and uniform surface.

Fakahoko

Kalisolaite 'Uhila NZL

Pianos Warehouse

Chains, connection, and shared vulnerability: a performance and its lingering remnants, from one of New Zealand's most renowned endurance artists.

Three people in denim outfits pose in a living room; one sits reading a book, while another stands holding a cream-colored Flying V guitar. The aesthetic is domestic and indie, captured with a film-like quality.

Folk Bitch Trio AUS

Albert Hall Launceston

Layered folk epics from three sharp tongues.

An experimental art piece features a thick mass of long brown hair embedded into a rough concrete slab on the ground. The hair appears to grow out of or merge with the textured grey cement.

Hairline Border

Kiyo Gutiérrez MEX

Pianos Warehouse

Tethered by hair to concrete, the artist’s body traces the lines that divide land, rivers, and lives—as both wounds and cracks of possibility.

A detailed macro cross-section of an ammonite fossil reveals a spiraling sequence of amber-colored chambers lined with crystalline structures. Fine, wavy white lines trace the internal architecture of the shell, creating a complex organic pattern.

Hard Core

Julian Charrière FRA CHE

Mona

A descent into deep time, and the concealed worlds beneath our feet.

A blurry, low-fidelity photograph of two men wearing sunglasses outdoors near a large tree. One man stands in the background by the tree trunk, while the other is positioned prominently but out of focus in the foreground.

Headache GBR

Odeon

The mysterious collaboration between London-based producer Vegyn and poet Francis Hornsby Clark.

A blurry, low-light shot features glowing purple and pink chandeliers hanging in a dark space. The motion blur creates streaks of light that suggest a dynamic, nocturnal atmosphere.

Help Me Through The World

Undisclosed Location

Filth, finery, and a full bar.

A low-angle shot looking up through a complex, geometric black metal frame fitted with hanging Edison-style light bulbs. The structure creates a mirrored, kaleidoscopic effect against a bright blue sky filled with soft white clouds.

House of Mirrors

Christian Wagstaff AUS, Keith Courtney AUS

Mona

Get lost in your reflection.

A dramatic silhouette of a long-haired performer with arms raised on a dark stage, illuminated by several sharp, radial beams of white light. A guitar player and stage equipment are visible in the misty, atmospheric background.

Hymns to the Dead

Tiamat SWE, Negative Plane USA, Emasculator CZE USA, Grave Upheaval AUS

Odeon

Deafening.

A whimsical, white ceramic figure features a wide, grinning mouth with a long tongue and decorative gold studs lining its body. The sculpture is intricately painted with colorful motifs, including a leopard-print creature and a green scaled figure, while holding small skull-like objects in each hand.

If We're Being Honest

Vipoo Srivilasa AUS THA

Plimsoll Gallery

Enter a tactile realm of clay and sound, where making, offering, and confessing reveal what the subconscious longs to surface.

A person wearing a metallic jacket, shorts, and green sculpted boots stands atop a piece of heavy machinery against a clear blue sky. The low-angle shot emphasises their futuristic, utilitarian fashion and the industrial equipment.

Iglooghost GBR

Altar Bar

Descend into grime-streaked electronic wastelands, borne of the Bristol producer’s hyperactive imagination.

A view looking straight up from inside a tall, dark cylindrical structure with a keyhole-shaped opening at the top. The bright blue sky and white clouds are framed by the silhouette of the walls, which are studded with small metallic objects.

In Absence

Yhonnie Scarce AUS, Edition Office AUS

Mona

A tower rises from the foreshore bisected by a slice of nothing, from Kokatha / Nukunu artist Yhonnie Scarce and Edition Office architects Kim Brigland and Aaron Roberts, referencing Aboriginal stone eel traps and housing 1600 murnong or ‘daisy yam’ tubers blown in black glass.

A woman with long blonde hair and blue eyes poses in a white strapless top against a soft, glowing blue background. The lighting is ethereal and bright, creating a halo effect around her silhouette.

Kelly Moran USA

Altar Bar

The New York composer coaxes vast emotional weather from the piano with compositions that bloom toward quiet rapture.

A woman in black clothing runs down a dirt path with a determined, strained expression as a large military tank pursues her from behind. The scene is set in a desolate, wooded landscape under an overcast sky.

La Sombra

Regina José Galindo GTM

Dark Park

The German-made leopard tank pursues the artist across a barren field in a continuous loop, charting the insatiable pursuit of the global arms market, and the lives it destroys.

A dark silhouette of a person wearing a garment covered in long, protruding spikes stands against a hazy green backlight. The dramatic lighting hides their features while highlighting the aggressive, textured shape of their attire.

Lord Spikeheart KEN

Altar Bar

Figurehead of Africa’s heavy scene, pushing the limits of extreme music with metal, rap, electronics and IDM.

A dramatic, high-contrast shot of a performer with long braids standing in a single bright spotlight against a pitch-black background. She holds a microphone to her lips and raises one hand upward, capturing an intense, powerful moment on stage.

Miss Kaninna AUS

Altar Bar

First Nations rising star.

Museum of Old and New Art

Mona

Start your day at the museum.

A large crowd at Night Mass is bathed in deep red light, with glowing neon tubes and screens suspended haphazardly from the ceiling above.

Night Mass: DEAD END

Undisclosed Location

You were always meant to end up here.

A person on a stage is captured mid-motion, their long hair flying upward as they crouch near a microphone. The scene is drenched in deep blue light, creating a high-energy, cinematic atmosphere.

Nina Utashiro JPN USA DEU

Altar Bar

From Tokyo’s club underground, the Japanese-German hip hop artist coils raw vocals around writhing, cinematic sound worlds.

Gemini said A young woman with long reddish-brown hair and bangs sits in a room packed with vintage electronics, including several desktop monitors, laptops, and large speakers. She wears a black sweatshirt with the word "RABID" printed on it, posing amidst the cluttered, Y2K-aesthetic technology setup.

Ninajirachi AUS

Odeon

Soul-bound to her computer, the electronic artist helms a new generation of maximalist EDM.

A massive crowd of nude swimmers wearing red caps charges into the ocean at sunrise, led by a person holding a glowing orange flare trailing smoke.

Nude Solstice Swim

Long Beach

Drop everything.

Vibrant white and red fireworks explode behind a tall wooden structure at night, filling the sky with thick, glowing smoke and bright light trails.

Ogoh-ogoh

A massive community ritual in three parts: purge your fears to this year’s ogoh-ogoh, a totem-like sculpture crafted by Balinese artists Ida Bagus Oka, Ida Bagus Antara, and Komang Sedana Putra.

A person in a black uniform and a muzzle-like mask rides a vibrant, bright red horse past a mustard-yellow building. A person sits on the sidewalk in the background.

Palomo

Berna Reale BRA

Dark Park

Muzzled and uniformed, Reale patrols the streets of Belém atop a blood-red horse, navigating with quiet menace as the city holds its breath.

Passover 20th Anniversary

The Black Angels USA

Odeon

Make way for dark, droning psychedelic rock.

A kinetic metal sculpture made of industrial beams and gears, featuring a realistic prosthetic hand holding three cigarettes between its fingers. The mechanical frame appears rugged and functional, set against a stark white background.

Perros Chaos

Lolo & Sosaku ARG JPN

Dark Park

Autonomous robot dogs roam an unstable field of industrial noise, light and fog.

A row of arched windows in a dark, empty warehouse allows sunlight to cast bright, geometric patterns across the wooden floor.

Pianos

Pianos Warehouse

If these walls could talk

The five members of a metal band pose with their instruments in a dark studio, wearing band t-shirts and casual gear.

Power Trip USA

Odeon

Adrenaline-fuelled thrash metal from Texas.

Gemini said A person with long, dark wavy hair and bright blue eyeshadow smiles playfully at a high-angle camera while sticking out a red-stained tongue. They are wearing a white t-shirt with "America's" printed in blue text above a red star, set against a clean, neutral background.

Princess Nokia USA

Odeon

Supreme witch of New York’s hip hop underground.

Four men sit in a row on black stools against a stark white backdrop in a studio setting. They are dressed in simple, neutral-toned clothing, and their shadows are cast sharply against the wall behind them.

Protomartyr USA

Altar Bar

Austere post-punk from Detroit’s industrial sprawl.

Two figures stand before a massive, glowing teal portal that emits intense light and digital interference patterns. The scene is dark and cinematic, with the silhouettes of the performers framed by the radiant energy.

Purity Ring CAN

Odeon

Constellations of dizzying electropop.

A young woman with dark hair peers cautiously through tall, dry grass in a field at dusk. She wears a light-colored puffer jacket, and the soft, natural lighting creates a cinematic and mysterious mood.

Sassy 009 NOR

Altar Bar

The sultry, shapeshifting electropop project from Oslo-based producer, songwriter and vocalist Sunniva Lindgård.

Gemini said A collage of faces and figures, drenched in a deep red glow, surrounds a central medical MRI scanner within an ornate, theater-like setting. The composition features a skull-masked figure and several somber-looking men, creating a surreal and haunting atmosphere.

Sculpt: Eye of The Duck

Loris Gréaud FRA

Undisclosed Location

A mythic encounter with a work of elusive intensity.

A perspective shot looking down a narrow, dimly lit corridor lined with heavy red velvet curtains. The floor is covered in a patterned carpet with swirling gold and purple designs that lead toward a dark, shrouded doorway.

Sex + Death Day Club

Mona

Same same but different.

A band in shaggy, forest-like costumes performs around a DIY totem pole of speakers and synthesizers. A banner in the background reads "HARD TIMES FURIOUS DANCING" in bold, black block letters.

Snapped Ankles GBR

Odeon

Dance-punk gone feral.

Dancers in sleek, bubblegum pink bodysuits and white boots perform on a bright white floor. One dancer in the foreground lies on her stomach, looking back toward a laptop open on the floor next to her.

SOLAS

Candela Capitán ESP

Theatre Royal

Captured, commodified and emptied of meaning.

A series of overhead spotlights pierce through a thick, swirling fog in a dark, cavernous space, reflecting off a polished floor. The minimalist lighting and dense mist create a cold, atmospheric, and cinematic environment.

Soundspace

Boris Acket NLD

Dark Park

A kinetic cloud of sound and light, constantly shifting, collapsing and reforming.

A powerful vertical beam of white light shoots directly into a starry night sky from a glowing city nestled in a valley of clouds. The Milky Way is visible to the left, and the scene is captured from a high, rocky vantage point overlooking the landscape.

spectra

Ryoji Ikeda JPN

Mona

Ryoki Ikeda’s light-tower returns to Mona to pierce our winter sky.

Two men in dark suits are partially obscured by a large, flat wooden table that appears to cut through them at neck level. The lighting is dim, focusing on the surreal and unsettling intersection of the furniture and the human figures.

Stasis

Ruben Bellinkx BEL

City Hall

A group of men engage in a strange interaction with a table, in which everyone’s presence is of vital importance.

An intricate wall-mounted installation combining natural organic elements like branches and lichen-covered stones with industrial components like wires, metal spheres, and glass tubes. The arrangement creates a complex, skeletal network that bridges the gap between biological forms and mechanical technology.

Tactus

Dylan Sheridan AUS, Sean O'Connell AUS, Jacob Leary AUS

Good Grief Studios

A group installation where sound seeps from the very substance of things.

Two large, realistic sculptures of black dogs appear to charge forward in a gallery space. The room is dramatically lit by dozens of ornate crystal chandeliers hanging at various heights from the ceiling.

The Dogs

Abdul-Rahman Abdullah AUS

Rosny Farm

Suspended mid-snarl, three dogs in pursuit give form to the latent corruption lurking beneath glittering façades.

Six men in casual contemporary clothing stand in a line, smiling for a group portrait in an outdoor urban space. The background features brick arches and a modern curved roofline under bright, even daylight.

The Gesualdo Six GBR

Mona

Here from the hallowed halls of British cathedrals, one of the UK’s finest vocal ensembles goes medieval to modern inside Elektra, Anselm Kiefer’s colossal concrete amphitheatre at Mona.

A simple light-wood bench sits outdoors, surrounded by a thick scattering of black, confetti-like debris on the ground. Some of the dark material also rests on the slats of the bench, creating a stark contrast against the wood.

The Sky Caving In

Gabriel Lester NLD

Basilica

As the end rains upon us.

A minimalist textile art piece featuring a cream-colored fabric banner with the words "THERE IS NOTHING LEFT TO PRAY FOR." embroidered in bold, black capital letters. The banner hangs flat against a plain, off-white wall.

There's Nothing Left to Pray For

Chunxiao Qu AUS

Dark Park

A glaring emblem of one mother’s pain, as hope collapses and something more volatile takes hold…

Times of War

Regina José Galindo GTM

Pianos Warehouse

Death, blood, hunger, televised genocide: In her first ever Australian performance, the artist stages a quiet protest against the violence of our times, and the devastation that lingers once attention fades.