Veronica Pereira Maia, born in Fahorem, Suai, in the country’s south-west in 1930, she is one of the few artist weavers residing outside of Timor Leste. Her tais reflect her origins in Suai, a city. Veronica fled her country after the Indonesian occupation in 1975 for a refugee camp in Portugal and taught exiles including young Maria Madeira traditional culture. She undertook residencies and exhibitions (Museo de Traje / National Museum of Costume, Lisbon). She settled in Darwin in 1985 and after the Santa Cruz Massacre in 1991 was active in AFFET and in their programme of performances, demonstrations, pickets. This included the planning of Tuba-rai metin: firmly gripping the earth, an art project and de facto political embassy installed in State Square, Darwin for the 1996 Darwin Fringe Festival. (It was refused by the Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory.) She performed in the theatre productions ‘Diablo’ (Darwin Wharf, 1992) and ‘Spirits Cry Freedom’ (1993) and undertook workshops at Northern Territory Museum of Arts and Sciences, Darwin (1989) and Craft Council Gallery, Darwin (1995). She was honoured by the new Government of Timor Leste when the Tais Don (1995-96) was laid at Santa Cruz Church in Dili for the inaugural commemoration of the 1991 Massacre on 12 November 2000. Her work is held in public and private collections in Portugal, Japan, and Australia.
- Writers:
- Jo Holder
- Date written:
- 2015
- Last updated:
- 2015
