Lia Kent joins ARC Discovery Project exploring how international funding and politics shape contemporary art in Timor-Leste

Congratulations to Associate Professor Lia Kent on being successful in the last Australian Research Council (ARC) Discovery Project Discovery Project round. She is part of a Curtin University-led team analysing changing art practices in Timor-Leste today and the impact of international donor funding and involvement in the arts.

The project, Art, politics and donor agendas in Timor-Leste, is led by Dr Vannessa Hearman (Curtin University) and involves CI's Professor Kit Messham-Muir (Curtin), Dr Wulandani (Wulan) Dirgantoro (UniMelb) and Dr Pyone Myat Thu (Murdoch).

The project aims to analyse changing contemporary art practices in Timor-Leste and the impact of international donor funding and involvement in the arts. Some of the expected outcomes include new knowledge about how contemporary art is produced and supported, and the politics of art-making at a time of generational change in political leadership.

The project aims to enhance research capacity in Australia and Timor-Leste and foster a deeper understanding amongst scholars, artists, curators and policy-makers about the role of contemporary art in society and politics in Timor-Leste and how cultural diplomacy programs and state support for the arts can work respectfully and equitably with artists in a post-war setting.