Kiss And Don’t Tell ; Maria Madeira

Timor-Leste Pavilion, Venice Biennale

Kiss And Don’t Tell is conceptual artist Maria Madeira’s powerful and ground-breaking installation representing the Democratic Republic of Timor Leste at the 60th Venice Biennale.
Returning to her homeland after the end of the Indonesian occupation (1975-1999), the artist slept in a bedroom with red markings along the walls at knee height; she soon learned that the Indonesians had forced Timorese women to wear lipstick and kiss the walls.

Madeira honours these women in her site-specific installation by drenching the walls in drips of paint and betel nut that resemble blood. She works with tais, the traditional textile from Timor- Leste woven by women. Redolent with pain and anguish, Madeira smears red earth from her birthplace in Timor- Leste onto tais, canvas and floor, imbuing the work with sorrow and memories. Madeira melds ancestral influences, traditional crafts and contemporary concerns for the plight of the voiceless.

During the opening days of the Biennale Arte 2024, Madeira kisses the walls with lipstick markings while singing traditional songs from her village in the Indigenous language Tetun, including the haunting Timorese song Ina Lou, literally meaning “Dear Mother Earth”.
A film of Madeira’s performance is presented alongside her vast painting completing the cycle of Kiss and Don’t Tell. An act of resistance, survival and resilience, Madeira’s cultural activism pays homage to the women of Timor- Leste by offering hope and healing.

Represented by Anna Schwartz Gallery, Melbourne

Curated by Natalie King

Photography Cristiano Corte

20 April – 24 November 2024