A Story Woven in Strength and Connection
For over 20 years, ETWA has collected Tais from LO’UD members—some gifted by the weavers or ETWA members, but most intentionally purchased to preserve and return to Timor-Leste in the future. Each piece tells a story: they are exquisite examples of masterful weaving that carry the memories and lives of their makers.
Sharing these remarkable Tais and stories with our community was a priority, and ETWA’s 20th anniversary in 2024 offered the perfect moment. Thanks to the generosity of The Burke Gallery at Trinity College, Melbourne University, we presented the Tais, Culture & Resilience exhibition on the 19th of September, 2024 and ran an accompanying symposium.
Although we are seasoned storytellers, curating this exhibition was a new and exciting challenge. Curation required a thoughtful, often complex approach to create a meaningful and engaging audience experience. It involved extensive conversations between our members and the gallery team, guidance from professional curators and textile conservators, the exploration of many ideas, and a huge dose of agility to meet tight timelines. Our ‘Big Idea’ was clear: a vibrant exhibition bringing Timor-Leste’s rich history to life through traditional weaving, striking photography, and powerful stories.
The result surpassed our expectations. The exhibition was elegant, cohesive, and a compelling platform for cultural dialogue, community engagement, and the celebration of the enduring bond between Australian communities and the people of Timor-Leste.
Most importantly, we were able to share this success with our many partners, collaborators, and friends. Looking back, it’s hard to believe just how much has unfolded in just 12 months. The events were the beginning of so many new friendships, meaningful connections, and unforgettable memories.
From those first conversations, so many doors have opened to incredible opportunities that are strengthening LO’UD’s future sustainability, ensuring that the voices and traditions of LO’UD weavers continue to be celebrated and supported.
We are deeply grateful to everyone who has walked alongside us on this journey—whether by visiting, sharing our story, or collaborating to help bring Timor-Leste’s cultural heritage to the world.
And this is just the beginning—stay tuned as we work on strategies to keep the narrative and exhibition alive, carrying these woven stories into new places, spaces, and the years ahead. In 2003, just one year after Timor-Leste gained formal independence, a group of women who had fought for their nation’s freedom founded a cooperative called LO’UD. From the far eastern municipality of Lautem, these remarkable women—once resistance fighters—turned their hands from struggle to creation, weaving threads of hope and history into cloth. Their work continues today, preserving the cultural heritage of Tais while providing livelihoods for women and their families.
Tais are more than textiles—they are living archives. Each handwoven piece carries motifs that tell stories of ancestry, place, and identity. Passed from mothers to daughters, the art of weaving Tais embodies both endurance and belonging. Through years of occupation and hardship, this tradition held fast, sustaining communities and expressing a spirit that could not be broken.
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- Elaine Briere
Melbourne 2024
The Inaugural Showcase
In 2024, LO’UD and East Timor Women Australia (ETWA) celebrated twenty years of solidarity and shared purpose. This milestone coincided with the 25th anniversary of Timor-Leste’s historic independence ballot—moments bound together by courage, resilience, and collective memory. To honour these intertwined journeys, ETWA curated the exhibition Tais, Culture & Resilience, in partnership with Trinity College at the University of Melbourne. Dedicated to Marcelina Pinto and Dr Helen Hill, both fierce advocates for Timor-Leste’s sovereignty, the exhibition brought together stunning Tais, powerful photography, and immersive storytelling.
With works by Elaine Brière, Sally Gray, Jorge da Araujo, and Ross Bird, and an audio-visual installation by Marcus Salvagno, the exhibition became a vibrant tapestry of culture, remembrance, and collaboration. For over two decades, ETWA had carefully collected Tais from LO’UD members—some gifted, many purchased for safekeeping with the intention of one day returning them home. Each Tais, intricate and expressive, held not only the weaver’s artistry but her life, her memories, her community.
The Burke Gallery at Trinity College hosted the exhibition’s first showing in September 2024, accompanied by a symposium exploring culture, resilience, and the art of cross-cultural partnership. For ETWA, this curation was a leap into new creative territory—requiring collaboration with professional curators, textile conservators, and a great deal of agility and imagination. The vision was bold yet clear: to create a living conversation between past and present, between Timor-Leste and Australia, between art and endurance.
The result surpassed every expectation. The exhibition emerged as an elegant, cohesive experience—an evocative meeting place for community, art, and dialogue. It strengthened bonds between Timorese and Australian communities and illuminated the beauty of shared resilience.
From that luminous beginning, new friendships bloomed, and fresh opportunities unfolded—opening doors for LO’UD’s sustainable future and amplifying the voices of Timorese weavers on the world stage.
In Collaborative partnership with:
With generous support by our partners:
Darwin 2025
A Celebration of Spirit
In May 2025, the exhibition travelled north to Darwin, where its energy found new life beside the sea and under Larrakia skies. The opening night began with a heartfelt Welcome to Country by Bella and Trent Lee of Larrakia Nation, followed by the thunder of drums from Timorese elders Tia Veronica Maia and Tia Maria Castella. Words of wisdom and encouragement came from Consul General Maun José Antonio Amorim Dias, Luke Gosling OAM MP, and LO’UD Coordinator Ilda da Cruz, whose presence anchored the night in strength and pride.
Around eighty guests—from the Timorese diaspora, arts communities, and local activists—filled the gallery with warmth and laughter. The air buzzed with conversation and the hum of reconnection. Artists including Gabriela Carrascalão Cid, Maria Madeira, and photographers Ross Bird, Jorge da Araujo, Elaine Brière, and Sally Gray shared in this vibrant exchange, uniting under one story of endurance and beauty.
Though few photos were taken—lost to the joy of the moment—the memories are vivid. It was an evening of spirit and solidarity, made possible through the generous support of Tactile Arts, Larrakia Nation, the City of Darwin, Luke Gosling MP, and Consul-General José Antonio Amorim Dias.
Viva Timor-Leste.
The threads continue—carrying stories of courage, creativity, and kinship into the years ahead.
In Collaborative partnership with:
