‘A space for mourning’ or a trauma theme park? Dark Mofo struggles with its most powerful works

Nicholas Galanin’s Neon Anthem at Dark Mofo 2025. Photograph: Jesse Hunniford/Mona

It’s dusk on Friday as we follow the sounds of screaming through a former industrial estate in downtown Hobart. My friend and I arrive at a field of astroturf facing a 12-metre-wide scaffold emblazoned with neon white text that reads:

“I’VE COMPOSED A NEW NATIONAL ANTHEM.
TAKE A KNEE
AND SCREAM
UNTIL
YOU CAN’T BREATHE.”