Dark Mofo boss Leigh Carmichael planned to quit over ‘First Nations blood’ furore

Dark Mofo creative director Leigh Carmichael almost quit over the controversial art project calling for First Nations blood. Here’s why he didn’t.

Dark Mofo Creative Director Leigh Carmichael. Picture: Richard Jupe

Dark Mofo’s creative director Leigh Carmichael says he almost quit his role after Union Flag controversy.

“During the justified outrage, at a time when I was quite distraught, (Tasmanian Indigenous leader) Michael Mansell phoned me to see if I was okay. He said, ‘What’s the matter son? Get your head up and keep fighting, we need to tell our story,’” Carmichael said on Facebook on Friday.

“I told him I couldn’t do it anymore,” Carmichael said. “He responded with a calm voice and reminded me that he’s been fighting for human rights his whole life, and when he first went to Canberra he wasn’t even allowed to walk through the front door of Parliament House because he was an Aboriginal man. Those words, I will never forget.”

Last month, Dark Mofo was forced to scrap a controversial art work which soaks a British flag in the blood of First Nations peoples after a furious response to the project.

The work, Union Flag, by Spanish artist Santiago Sierra, invited First Nations peoples from countries and territories colonised by the British Empire, who live in Australia, to donate blood for the project.

However, the art work, and calls for blood donations, sparked outrage.

In a Facebook post in Saturday, the festival said it had started an “internal review” on the Union Flag matter.

“There is no consensus yet within the Dark Mofo team on how exactly to address the Union Flag fall out,” a statement said on Dark Mofo’s Facebook page.

“All staff are being encouraged to express their views, and an internal review process has begun.”

It added Mona boss David Walsh and the Tasmanian Government had “reiterated their support for the 2021 Dark Mofo festival to proceed as planned in June, under the direction of Leigh Carmichael.”

On Friday, Carmichael said: “I have been deeply effected by the outrage that resulted from my decisions as the creative director of Dark Mofo.

“The inclusion of Santiago Sierra’s Union Flag was intended to bring attention to the atrocities and attempted genocide committed by the British Empire, especially here in Tasmania. The lack of acknowledgment is a stain on us all.

“Unfortunately, our highly insensitive and offensive marketing campaign designed to bring attention to Union Flag failed to accurately represent the artists intent.

“I understand why this mistake caused the outrage, the anger and the damage that it did. I believe the anger was warranted, and we should call out injustice when we see it, especially when it comes from a place of privilege and power.”

Carmichael said cancelling Union Flag was “the right thing to do,” but added he is “concerned and sad that the conversation, and other voices, as well as the artist’s, have now been silenced.”

Dark Mofo runs in Hobart from June 16 to 22, with a full program to be announced soon.