Dark Mofo has responded to backlash against a controversial art performance piece slated for this year’s festival.
ICYMI, the festival has been copping some serious heat since asking “First Nations peoples from territories colonised by the British Empire” to donate their blood in the name of art.
Spanish artist Santiago Sierra is intending to immerse the Union Jack flag in the donated blood of 83 First Nations people. As part of the project, Sierra has offered to fly one randomly selected participant from each colonised country to Hobert in order to give blood at a medical facility.
Understandably, criticism against the idea has been swift, leading to Dark Mofo’s creative director Leigh Carmichael releasing a statement on Monday evening.
“We’ve been overwhelmed with responses to Santiago Sierra’s Union Flag by Indigenous and non-Indigenous people from around the world,” Carmichael wrote on Facebook.
He continued: “We understand, respect and appreciate the many diverse views in relation to this confronting project. Self-expression is a fundamental human right, and we support artists to make and present work regardless of their nationality or cultural background.”
“The range of perspectives reflects the conversations we had with Tasmanian Aboriginal people prior to announcing the project. It’s not surprising that the atrocities committed as a result of colonising nations continue to haunt us.”
Carmichael previously told The Australian that there has been “debating and arguing” over the piece among the Dark Mofo team.
“We’ve been debating and arguing about it for a year now and there are some really strong views within my team that we shouldn’t be proceeding,” he said.
“It’s a work that could be seen as difficult from the left and the right so we find ourselves in the middle – which is a really good place for a festival to be.”
“I feel it’s good art when it’s difficult.”
Check out the full statement from Leigh Carmichael addressing the Dark Mofo backlash:
We’ve been overwhelmed with responses to Santiago Sierra’s Union Flag by Indigenous and non-Indigenous people from…
Posted by Dark Mofo on Sunday, 21 March 2021
