For the first time, Timor-Leste has an exhibition at the Venice Biennale. The work by Timor-Leste born artist Maria Madeira confronts the violent history of the Indonesian occupation in an immersive installation. Freelance art journalist Tim Stone filmed the exhibition opening last month, and sent us this story. WARNING: this story discusses sexual violence.
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00:00 My name is Maria Madeira. I was born in Blenum, Ermera, Timor-Leste. I feel very, very blessed
00:12 to be the first artist to represent Timor-Leste because we've only been independent for just
00:18 over 20 years and here I am representing my country on the world stage, contemporary arts,
00:26 what a blessing. I was introduced to Maria Madeira by the historian and writer Dr Kim
00:33 McGrath and in our conversations she suggested how wonderful it would be to present Maria
00:40 Madeira as a representative of East Timor in the Venice Biennale. I wrote to the Prime
00:51 Minister, to Shanana Goss Marr, with this idea. Slightly nervously and apprehensively,
00:57 because of the funding that would be necessary, to my great pleasure, Shanana agreed. It is
01:06 a special privilege to be here to open Timor-Leste's first exhibition at La Biennale di Venezia.
01:16 I am very happy because the theme for the Venice Biennale this year is 'Foreigners
01:45 Everywhere' because that's exactly how I feel no matter where I go. I'm a foreigner
01:50 everywhere I go. 'Kiss and Don't Tell' is a story that emerged when I went to East
01:59 Timor as an interpreter and when I went back I stayed with my brother. I walked into the
02:06 room that was supposed to be my bedroom. I noticed a lot of lipstick on the wall but
02:11 the weird thing was they were in a linear position all around the wall and at the knee-high
02:18 position. When I got the trust of a neighbour, that's when he told me the story. The room
02:26 used to be a torture room and the women used to be captured by the Indonesian soldiers
02:32 and they were forced to put makeup on, put lipstick on and kiss the wall while they've
02:38 been raped. It shocked me because I thought it was a children's playground and I felt
02:47 that the world was talking to me and saying 'Mana, sister, you have to be the voice'.
03:01 Looking at the work you will see these very piercing betel nut stains whereby Maria Madera
03:07 chooses betel nut which is used for ceremonial purposes and then spits it onto the canvas
03:14 almost like a gunshot wound and the lips are all traced along the base of the painting
03:21 as if the women are speaking. You put lipstick on and you kiss and you're meant to be loved
03:30 and yet in this particular space that I stayed at and this installation, the kiss became
03:39 a form of torture. Why? Why? Why do you want me to look so beautiful to hurt me? So to
03:52 be the first to be representing a country, to be a woman, I think it's a big leap for
04:01 Timor-Leste.
04:02 [Music]
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