Leigh Carmichael
Mona's DarkLab Creative Director & Keynote Speaker
Creative Director of DarkLab and driving force behind MONA’s Dark Mofo and Mofo festivals, Leigh Carmichael is a visionary in creativity and cultural branding. Voted one of Australia’s most powerful cultural figures, he shares insights on audience engagement, artistic risk-taking, and the evolution of Mona into an internationally celebrated, boundary-pushing cultural institution.
Quick Contact
Leigh Carmichael is the visionary Creative Director of DarkLab, the creative project subsidiary of Tasmania’s renowned Museum of Old and New Art (MONA). DarkLab develops projects beyond the traditional Mona sphere, most notably the annual multi-arts festivals Dark Mofo (winter) and Mofo (summer), which have established Tasmania as a leading global cultural destination.
Voted one of Australia’s top ten most powerful people in culture by the Australian Financial Review, Leigh serves on the board of the Australia Council for the Arts and speaks internationally on creativity, cultural branding, and the evolution of artistic performance. He provides audiences with unique insights into the development of the Mona brand and the transformative impact of Mofo and Dark Mofo festivals.
Leigh’s career began in graphic design with Crank Media, G3, and Roar Film. As a freelancer, he designed labels for David Walsh’s Moorilla winery Muse Series and Moo Brew beers—work that evolved into the creative direction of MONA. Under his leadership, Mona has expanded to include multiple brands and festivals, combining music, art, interactive performance, and film to create internationally celebrated events. In 2016, Dark Mofo attracted more than 280,000 attendees.
Known for balancing creativity with strategy, Leigh has helped shape “The Mona Effect,” a distinctive cultural branding approach defined by irreverence, egalitarianism, hedonism, and discovery. His work continues to redefine audience engagement, artistic risk-taking, and the global perception of Tasmania as a vibrant cultural hub.
Topics
Creative Risk
Out of box thinking doesn’t have to be an unattainable end goal. Embracing creative risk is about removing the barriers to creativity that are in place and working together to come up with new ideas and new ways of approaching challenges.
Personal Transformation
Perfect for smaller groups, Leigh talks through the creative process and how this can be embraced as part of your everyday mode of thinking. Creativity isn’t just about scheduling time for a brainstorm in a boardroom, it’s a way of thinking that shifts every aspect of your life.
Branding Design & Trademark
The Mona brand has redefined cool: it is irreverent, playful, distinctive, and brave. In this talk, Leigh details the creative evolution of the brand and how it has evolved into multiple channels and events.
The History of Mona
Leigh talks about the beginnings of Mona, his partnership with David Walsh, and the evolution of the brand, including the Mofo and Dark Mofo festivals.
