ACROSS WORDS: An Anthology 

Editor: Loredana Pazzini Paracciani
Contributing Writers: Nadiah Bamadhaj, Dionísio Babo Soares, Laurentina "mica" Barreto Soares, Simão Cardoso Pereira, Charnvit Kasetsiri, Maria Madeira, Carlos Quijon, Jr., Nora A. Taylor, Leonor Veiga, Sau Bin Yap
Designer: Daniel New
Publisher: Mousse Magazine and Publishing

ACROSS WORDS: An Anthology is a comprehensive survey of Timor-Leste’s contemporary art, offering a vital perspective on a culture still largely underrepresented on the global stage. Originally unveiled in May 2026 to mark the opening of the Timor-Leste Pavilion at the Arsenale during the 61st International Art Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia, the publication was subsequently launched in Bangkok, Thailand in August.

Published on the occasion of Timor-Leste’s second participation in Venice in 2026, this anthology accompanies and documents the pavilion much as a catalogue would; however, as an edited manuscript, it offers a plurality of viewpoints and reflections. A conventional catalogue would only partially address Timor-Leste’s art through the works of the selected artists, failing to encompass a broader—and much-needed—perspective on the country’s contemporary culture, which remains little known to most international audiences. While both the anthology and the pavilion share the title Across Words, they operate on parallel planes.

Located at the Arsenale, the Timor-Leste Pavilion presents an exploration of language and oral memory as a generative force within the nation's layered systems of communication. It centers on the work of three artists— Verónica Pereira Maia (b.1933), Etson Caminha (b. 1984) and Juventino Madeira (b. 1994) —examining language as a means of defining national identity and belonging through conceptual artworks spanning textile, video, and sound installations. As curator Loredana Pazzini Paracciani notes: “Rather than seeking linguistic cohesion, the people of Timor-Leste proudly locate their identity in linguistic multiplicity across ancestral dialects and official languages. Within this diversity, Timor-Leste’s unity emerges — a cohesion found across words.”

The anthology, on the other hand, unfolds through newly commissioned articles that either respond directly to the artworks presented in the pavilion or address Timor-Leste’s culture from a broader perspective. At its core, it addresses two key objectives: the need to discuss Timor-Leste in contemporary terms, both artistically and socially, and the imperative to position its culture within a comparative framework in relation to Southeast Asia. On 26 October 2025, Timor-Leste joined ASEAN as its 11th member state—a development that underscores the country’s geopolitical location within the region. Notwithstanding this shift, prevailing comparative models continue to focus primarily on Timor-Leste’s relationships with Portugal and Australia, for understandable historical reasons. Seeking to redirect this focus toward Southeast Asia, this anthology brings together ten contributions—essays, personal accounts, and interviews—by Timorese and Southeast Asianist scholars. In addressing both objectives, these contributions have opened new trajectories while navigating significant challenges, largely due to the limited body of existing literature on these topics and on how Timor-Leste is perceived through scholarship and media.

Conceived as a twofold project, the anthology and the pavilion may be experienced together or independently—as a sustained engagement through reading, or as a visual and sensory experience at the Arsenale. Within the pavilion, the audience encounters textile, video, and sound installations designed to guide visitors’ understanding of Timor-Leste. The anthology, by contrast, offers a literary exploration of the country through the perspectives of its contributors and the ways they have encountered the nation.

Availability: The book is available at ELECTA shops at the Arsenale and Giardini (Venice), as well as online.
Exhibition visit: Visit the Timor-Leste Pavilion, Across Words, at the Artiglierie, Arsenale through November 22, 2026.
Closing event: Join us on November 21 for a closing presentation at the pavilion, followed by a prosecco reception.
Follow us: Instagram: @timor_leste_pavilion2026; Facebook: TimorLesteVenice2026; Youtube: @TimorLestePavilion2026

Press enquiries: Katrina Hall (+61 3 421 153 0346 or kathall@ozemail.com.au); Timor-Leste Pavilion (TLPavilion.Info@gmail.com)