Controversial artist’s performance takes Dark Mofo festival to new depths

MEET Mike. He’ll soon be literally entombed under Macquarie Street. The road will be resealed and he’ll stay buried for three days.

Performance artist, painter and printmaker Mike Parr is known for performances which often feature self-mutilation.

A CONTROVERSIAL Australian performance artist will spend three days next month buried just under the surface of one of Hobart’s busiest streets, as part of Dark Mofo.

Mike Parr will be entombed below the middle lane of Macquarie St — outside the old Mercury building — inside a 4.5m x 1.7m x 2.2m container, and spend 72 hours under the road between June 14 and 17.

The public will be invited to witness Parr’s “disappearance”, before the road is resealed so traffic can resume as normal. Some preliminary roadworks will be carried out tonight.

The artwork, titled Underneath The Bitumen The Artist, is Parr’s response to two events that have helped shape Tasmania’s history: the transportation of 75,000 British and Irish convicts in the first half of the 19th century, and the subsequent violence against the state’s Aboriginal population.

Mike Parr will be buried for three days under this section of Macquarie St in Hobart. Picture: MATT THOMPSON

At the conclusion of the performance, the underground container will be filled with concrete, sealing its contents — including Parr’s meditation stool, bedding and other essential items — as a time capsule for future generations.

Parr, a performance artist, painter and printmaker who is now in his early 70s, is known for performances which often feature self-mutilation — including cutting himself, and having his lips and face stitched with thread — and testing his physical limits via endurance challenges.

Underneath The Bitumen The Artist will be Parr’s third and final Dark Mofo project, following on from 2016’s 72-hour performance at Willow Court in New Norfolk, Asylum (Entry by Mirror Only), and last year’s 2am performance on Bruny Island, Empty Ocean.

Mike Parr’s Empty Ocean performance at last year’s Dark Mofo. Picture: ZAN WIMBERLEY

“We try to present new artists each year, but when Mike Parr asks to be buried under the streets of Hobart, it’s hard to say no,” Dark Mofo creative director Leigh Carmichael said.

Dark Mofo creative director Leigh Carmichael. Picture: RICHARD JUPE

“While initially intrigued by the project, it was only when Mike sent through the artist statement that I began to understand its relationship with Tasmania’s dark history, and comprehend the potential for its impact to resonate for much longer than the festival.

“To my knowledge, it will be Tasmania’s first monument referencing both the Black War and the convict system, because the abysmal treatment of the indigenous people and the extreme violence of the punishment meted out to the convicts are two sides of the same coin.

“It is a story that is not well known but is ever-present, just beneath the surface of our contemporary culture. The fact that Mike Parr’s work will happen underground, just out of sight, as everyday life continues above it, is clearly no coincidence. In my mind at least, this has already created the most poignant and profound statement imaginable.”

Dark Mofo runs from June 13-24. For details and bookings, go to www.darkmofo.net.au

A scene from Mike Parr’s 2016 performance Asylum (Entry by Mirror Only). Picture: MONA/RÉMI CHAUVIN