Timor-Leste has announced an open call inviting Timorese artists to submit their portfolios for consideration for the 61st Venice Biennale, which will take place from May 9 to November 22, 2026. 

Eligible applicants must be over 25 years old with Timorese citizenship, based in Timor-Leste or abroad. All application materials must be submitted in English by July 15, and shortlisted candidates will be interviewed by the project team and Loredana Pazzini-Paracciani, who is curating the Timor-Leste Pavilion.

Pazzini-Paracciani is an Italian independent scholar and curator of Southeast Asian contemporary art. She expressed her gratitude over the appointment in a press release, stating: “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.” In response to the upcoming Biennale’s theme, “In Minor Keys,” the curatorial framework of the Timorese Pavilion will focus on amplifying “quiet voices” and local traditions, offering a tender and forward-looking engagement with the nation’s history.

Commenting on the open call, Pazzini-Paracciani added: “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.”

Timor-Leste’s inaugural pavilion at the 60th Biennale last year was a major cultural milestone for the small Southeast Asian country, coinciding with the 22nd anniversary of its independence from Indonesia. Curated by Natalie King, the exhibition presented Maria Madeira’s Kiss and Don’t Tell (2024), a site-specific installation and performance piece paying tribute to the strength and resilience of Timorese women. 

Stella Wu is an editorial intern at ArtAsiaPacific.