TIMOR-LESTE

Maria Madeira is one of Timor-Leste’s most significant contemporary visual artists internationally, yet her practice is deeply rooted in local traditions and stories. For the country’s first participation in the Biennale, Madeira presents a new site-specific installation that utilizes local materials such as tais (traditional textile), betel nut, earth, and pigments. During the opening days, the artist will kiss the walls, leaving traces of lipstick while singing traditional songs from her village in the indigenous Tetun language. In particular, she will sing a captivating Timorese song called Ina Lou, which literally means “Dear Mother Earth,” and its lyrics refer to the cycle of birth and the journey of life and death.