A stylish man seated in front of his shop at a local market in Maubisse, Timor Leste. Virgin exhibitor here. Timor Leste has been a place that's close to my heart since I first travelled there in 2018, and again in 2024. So felt it was only fitting to showcase something from there for my first exhibition 😊 Having gained independence only in 2002, Timor is Asia's youngest country. Inspired after watching John Pilger's documentary 'Death of a Nation: The Timor Conspiracy', I set out in search to better understand how a country is post-war. I solo travelled around Timor for 2 months capturing different stories and lived experiences during the war from Timorese folks, and learnt so much about what happened during, before, and after the war from a local's perspective. It was one of the most eye-opening, truly heartwarming, and utterly heart-wrenching experiences of my life, but what stuck was the wisdom, quiet strength, resilience and beauty of the Timorese which are forever etched in me. This also kick-started my journey towards questioning Western media reportages, biases, and their heavy but not necessarily full-picture influence on us, their global audience. We really do need to hear more voices from within, not just Western perspectives. I hope to encourage opening up convos about Timor Leste, and would love for more people to learn about Asia's youngest country.
A stylish man seated in front of his shop at a local market in Maubisse, Timor Leste. Virgin exhibitor here. Timor Leste has been a place that's close to my heart since I first travelled there in 2018, and again in 2024. So felt it was only fitting to showcase something from there for my first exhibition 😊 Having gained independence only in 2002, Timor is Asia's youngest country. Inspired after watching John Pilger's documentary 'Death of a Nation: The Timor Conspiracy', I set out in search to better understand how a country is post-war. I solo travelled around Timor for 2 months capturing different stories and lived experiences during the war from Timorese folks, and learnt so much about what happened during, before, and after the war from a local's perspective. It was one of the most eye-opening, truly heartwarming, and utterly heart-wrenching experiences of my life, but what stuck was the wisdom, quiet strength, resilience and beauty of the Timorese which are forever etched in me. This also kick-started my journey towards questioning Western media reportages, biases, and their heavy but not necessarily full-picture influence on us, their global audience. We really do need to hear more voices from within, not just Western perspectives. I hope to encourage opening up convos about Timor Leste, and would love for more people to learn about Asia's youngest country.