The East Timor Arts Society
The East Timor Arts Society was established to showcase the beautiful artistic capabilities of the citizens of Timor-Leste (EastTimor). Without such artistic venues, much of the local artistic creations would go unseen, never having been able to portray their beauty or tell their story. Every artistic work on display at The East Timor Arts Society tells a unique story of the people of East Timor. Stories that envelop their hopes, their dreams, their fears, and their despair. A testament to their heritage of both past and future. We invite you to visit our gallery and experience for yourself the amazing artistry that awaits.
The Asia-Pacific’s youngest nation, Timor-Leste, or East Timor, saw a peaceful transition to a younger generation of political leaders in 2015. The country has limited cultural funding, although international organizations, such as AusAID, UNESCO and Timor Aid, sponsor events.
The heart of East Timor’s art scene is the nonprofit Arte Moris, founded in 2003 by Swiss artist couple Gabriela and Luca Gansser in the capital Dili. The art school, cultural center and artists’ association offers free art education to Timorese youth, in addition to hosting lectures and staging exhibitions.
In Australia, the Gertrude Street Projection Festival (7/10–19) in Melbourne displayed a piece by Animatism, a collective with members from East Timor, Australia and Indonesia, on the facade of a clothing shop.
In Western Australia, filmmaker Victor De Sousa and mixed-media artist Maria Madeira, together with Australian artists, won the Fremantle Arts Centre Print Award for their collaborative offset lithograph about social change in East Timorese culture, Elastics/Borrocha/Elástico (2012), which was displayed at the Fremantle Arts Centre.