Timorese art exhibition opens
By Kerryn Williams
CANBERRA — The Tuba-rai Metin art exhibition opened on September 11 at the Canberra School of Art.
Initiated by the East Timor Cultural Centre in Fairfield, Sydney, this impressive exhibition contains work by Veronica Pereira Maia, Antonio Maia and Albertina Viegas. Also included are a Timorese sacred house, weavings depicting the names of all those who were killed in the 1991 Dili massacre, and structures made from lead and rice representing Indonesian soldiers.
At the opening, Ngunnawal elder Ruth Bell welcomed the Timorese artists to Ngunnawal land and highlighted the similarities between the Timorese and Aboriginal peoples' struggles to retain art, language and culture in the face of oppression. Bishop Pat Power blessed the exhibition and called on those present to pledge their solidarity with the East Timorese people fighting injustice.
James Dunn, author and the last Australian consul-general in East Timor, noted that despite the greater international interest in East Timor, the "big countries are still morally corrupted by economic opportunism". He highlighted the shameful role played by successive Australian governments and urged all Australians to keep the pressure up. Other speakers included one of the artists, Albertina Viegas, who works with artists in Aboriginal communities in central Australia, and Democrat Senator Vicki Bourne.
Following the opening, a film containing interviews with the artists and footage of demonstrations commemorating the Dili massacre was shown.