DILI, 20 June 2025 (TATOLI) – Timor-Leste has confirmed its participation in the 61st International Art Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia, one of the world’s most prestigious cultural events, to be held in Venice, Italy, from May 9 to November 22, 2026.
This marks Timor-Leste’s second appearance at the Biennale, following the success of its inaugural presentation. The country aims to further showcase its rich cultural heritage and artistic talent on a global stage.
Participation in the Biennale is seen as a key step in strengthening Timor-Leste’s presence in the international arts community and promoting its national identity through contemporary visual arts.
The 2026 Timor-Leste Pavilion is commissioned by the Ministry of Youth, Sports, Arts and Culture, and will be curated by independent scholar and curator of Southeast Asian contemporary art, Loredana Pazzini-Paracciani.
Responding to La Biennale di Venezia’s overarching theme In Minor Keys, curated by the late Koyo Kouoh, the curatorial framework of the Timor-Leste Pavilion will center on the reclamation of quiet voices and the preservation of traditions – to love again, sotto voce and with passion. Leaving behind the country’s violent past, the Timor-Leste Pavilion moves on to a new future.
Commissioner Jorge Sores Cristovão, Timor-Leste’s Secretary of State for Arts and Culture, was pleased to appoint Loredana Pazzini-Paracciani as curator of Timor-Leste’s second exhibition in Venice. Loredana brings to the position an extensive experience in world-class contemporary art exhibitions and an ongoing commitment to the voice and point of view of Asian artists.
“I am honored to build on the achievements of Timor-Leste at the Venice Biennale 2024 and to continue to create awareness of Timor-Leste’s rich creative legacy,” Pazzini-Paracciani said.
The appointment of the Curator of the Timor-Leste Pavilion coincides with the launch of a global invitation to artists with Timor-Leste nationality to submit their portfolios for consideration for the 2026 exhibition in Venice, via an Open Call process. “We hope that, through this process, we engage with artists from the Timor-Leste diaspora. This is an unprecedented opportunity for artists to become a vital new voice in the unfolding story of Timor-Leste,” Pazzini-Paracciani said. “We invite Timor-Leste artists based everywhere to submit their portfolios here: https://forms.gle/tPTTMpy5h6Uijner8
The President of La Biennale, Pietrangelo Buttafuoco, and the Curator of the 61st Exhibition, Koyo Kouoh (appointed last December 2024), will announce the title and theme during a press conference to be held in Venice on Tuesday, May 20th, 2025.
The Biennale Arte 2026 will feature National Participations with their own exhibitions in the Pavilions at the Giardini and the Arsenale, as well as in Venice’s historic center. This edition will also include a selection of Collateral Events, proposed by international institutions and organizations, which will present their exhibitions and initiatives throughout the city.
Strategically located between Australia and Indonesia, at the eastern end of the Indian Ocean, Timor-Leste is Southeast Asia’s youngest nation and will be granted full ASEAN membership in October this year. As a fledging nation, Timor-Leste is proud to present the richness of its art and culture on the world stage in Venice.
Journalist: Camilio de Sousa
Editor: Filomeno Martins
