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| MONA FOMA Festival | |
|---|---|
| Name | MONA FOMA Festival |
| Location | Hobart, Tasmania |
| Years active | 2009–present |
| Founded | 2009 |
| Founder | Darren Deckert; linked to Museum of Old and New Art |
| Dates | January–February (annual) |
| Genre | Contemporary music; visual arts; performance art |
MONA FOMA Festival
MONA FOMA Festival is an annual multidisciplinary arts festival held in Hobart, Tasmania, associated with the Museum of Old and New Art and its founder, David Walsh. The event presents commissions and performances that blend contemporary music and visual arts, frequently featuring international artists alongside Australian practitioners. Its programming draws from experimental electronic, avant-garde, and contemporary classical traditions, attracting attention from institutions such as the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, the BBC, and the National Gallery of Victoria.
The festival commenced in 2009 following the establishment of the Museum of Old and New Art by David Walsh, with its first editions curated by musician and promoter Brian Ritchie and later by visual arts curators connected to MONA. Early editions featured artists from the United Kingdom, United States, and Europe, reflecting MONA’s international aspirations and establishing links with festivals such as BIGSOUND and Dark Mofo. Over successive years the program expanded to include commissions from ensembles associated with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, contemporary collectives like Bang on a Can, and soloists from scenes represented by labels such as Warp Records and ECM Records. The festival weathered local debates tied to Hobart’s cultural identity and Tasmania’s tourism strategies, paralleling controversies seen at other arts events like the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and Burning Man.
Organisational responsibility has rotated among MONA’s curatorial staff, independent programmers, and artistic directors with links to Australian institutions such as Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery and national bodies like Creative Australia. Funding sources include private patronage from MONA’s benefactors, ticket sales, and sponsorships involving companies prominent in Australian arts philanthropy. The festival has also engaged with state-level tourism initiatives via Tourism Tasmania and received project support from bodies resembling Australia Council for the Arts and philanthropic foundations that support contemporary art. Operational partnerships have included collaborations with venues administered by the City of Hobart and artists’ collectives known from the Melbourne Fringe circuit.
Programming spans contemporary music, sound art, performance, visual installations, and interdisciplinary commissions. Featured genres range from experimental electronic acts aligned with labels like Ninja Tune and Throne Room to contemporary classical composers associated with Ictus Ensemble and performers linked to ensembles such as Ars Nova Copenhagen or chamber groups on the ABC Classic roster. The festival often includes sound installations reminiscent of works presented at Documenta and biennales such as the Venice Biennale, alongside club-based electronic nights that echo programming at institutions like Sydney Opera House and the State Theatre. Curatorial themes have addressed technology, ecology, and political aesthetics in ways comparable to programming at Sonic Acts and Transmediale.
Events take place across Hobart and greater Tasmania, utilizing MONA’s galleries and subterranean spaces, outdoor waterfront sites, and historic buildings in the city precinct. Important locations have included the MONA galleries themselves, the Hobart waterfront near the Derwent River, and adaptive reuse sites similar to those employed by the Carriageworks in Sydney. Satellite events have toured to regional centers with partnerships comparable to those between MONA and regional councils, enabling commissions to be staged in outdoor landscapes that engage Tasmanian topography and locales known from the Southwest National Park and the Tasman Peninsula.
The festival has presented high-profile international and Australian acts, commissioning site-specific works and premieres. Performers and collaborators have included artists of the stature of Brian Eno, experimental ensembles akin to Meredith Monk’s collaborators, and electronic artists reflecting lineages of Aphex Twin and Squarepusher. Commissions have spanned multimedia installations reminiscent of works by Anish Kapoor and sound sculptures in the tradition of John Cage and Ryuichi Sakamoto. Collaborations with Australian artists have drawn on the practices of figures comparable to Hannah Gadsby (performance context), musicians associated with The Avalanches, and visual artists whose careers intersect with galleries like the National Gallery of Australia.
MONA FOMA Festival has influenced Hobart’s cultural ecology by increasing visitor numbers during the summer season and contributing to the local hospitality and creative sectors. The festival’s activities have fostered networks between Tasmanian artists and national institutions such as Museums Victoria and contemporary presenters like Carriageworks, supporting opportunities for residencies, commissions, and educational programs. Community engagement initiatives have included workshops, youth-oriented projects and collaborations with Indigenous arts organizations comparable to those supported by the Australia Council for the Arts and state cultural units. The festival’s profile has also encouraged discussions about regional cultural infrastructure similar to debates around the National Festival of Australian Youth Music.
Critical reception has been mixed: champions praise the festival’s adventurous commissioning, international reach, and boost to Hobart’s profile, drawing favorable commentary from media outlets akin to The Guardian and The New York Times. Critics have raised concerns about commercialization, the role of private collections in public culture, and tensions over festival programming choices, echoing controversies associated with collectors and institutions elsewhere such as debates around the Tate Modern and private museum models. Discussions in cultural circles have compared MONA FOMA’s curatorial approach to experimental festivals like All Tomorrow's Parties and major biennials, interrogating issues of accessibility, curatorial transparency, and long-term community benefit.
Category:Festivals in Tasmania