Halo, art-loving viewers. In Timore Leste, one of the world’s youngest democratic nations, one group of young artists are honing their craft, not only for their own careers but also to shape the future of their country. Arte Moris, meaning “Living Art” in the Tetun language, is Timor Leste’s first fine arts school, cultural center and artists’ association, based in the capital city of Dili.

In the midst of the nation’s emergence from decades of instability and conflict, Arte Moris was founded in 2003 by a dedicated Swiss-Italian artist and his innovative spouse, to provide a constructive tool in the nation’s social and psychological recovery from a troubled past.

We came here in 2002 because we were very curious to see the newest nation at the time. We have been around in Southeast Asia for quite some years before. After having been travelling for four months all over the country here, what impressed us most was all the young people in the streets and not having much to do.

But we saw some graffiti and we saw some signs of creativity and also talent all over the country. So we said, “Okay, here one could maybe do something and support and help these young people, maybe to discover maybe their talent in the arts.”

After all this suffering, we thought it's important for the young people to express themselves, because it's not really the culture to talk a lot about the problems, but if you can paint or illustrate them, So we decided to contact or find young people, and to interest them to join a kind of an art community. important is maybe that we live together. And then we can exchange much better on a daily basis.

Then we started to offer courses. My husband Luca he was the major mentor of the school then and he would pass on all his skills and his understanding of what art is about and why it's important to consider art as a very strong tool in a society, especially like East Timor.

Then over the years, we got interest from different volunteers, I would say maybe from 25 different countries in the meantime. So they would come here and teach their skills and give their impressions because as Luca said, it's very important that they see also influences of other people. We would show art movies about history of art a bit, and other interesting artists that have been living in this world before, that they can enrich their knowledge about the world in the art and the world in general.

Creating art has since been a way of empowering youth at Arte Moris, not only through creative expression but also through sharing responsibilities toward the association’s development. It is still all free of charge for the some 100 art students.

My art work, I just paint the work on tais (traditional cloth), and this one too. When I make it, I feel like it’s going to be two things here, one is paint and going to be, we call mix with this sculpture here. And here also paint on tais, but it's about the culture, all about the culture here. I just want to show my traditional things and culture to overseas to everybody. It was work for two months!

Two months.

And this one is like, three weeks I worked on it, three weeks. My plan for the future, I really want to like become an artist. Yes, and I want to like, I have my own studio and my own gallery, and to be like a Timorese artist.

The school is called non-profit and free art school because most of the teachers or the trainers are giving classes for free to the students that come and learn, and also we provide free materials for the students that come and learn at the center. Mainly all the income that comes just to sustain the school and the artists, a little bit of income to look after themselves as well, to finance their life needs and also helping a little bit of the families.

The principle of the schools really is just, in the beginning is to spread the message of art around the country. The principle is also to introduce the world of art to the young people, to start seeing that there is a huge opportunity and area that could be also developed. Up to now, we have all around 125 students been graduated, formally.

They receive certificate, they have intensive course for one year, and music, fine art, photography, in these three subjects. Art give a positive expression to the young people, to express themselves. We offer a chance for the young students to be able to express their emotion through art, which is they create something nice.

In 2003, Arte Moris was awarded the United Nations Human Rights prize for promoting Freedom of Expression. Apart from growing international recognition, Art Moris had also earned the support of then East Timorese Minister of Foreign Affairs and current President Dr. Jose Ramos Horta.

Supreme Master Television had the honor of interviewing His Excellency around the time that he was honored with the Shining World Leadership Award from Supreme Master Ching Hai. During the interview, he spoke about Arte Moris as its longtime Honorary Patron.

Arte Moris is one of the best non-governmental organization (NGO) private initiatives in this country to foster art. It started by Mr. Luca and his wife Gabbie, building up from zero an outstanding art school that engages hundreds of young East Timorese. They’re doing fantastic work.

I patron, and whatever, whenever I can do to encourage it. I would hope, or my dream would be that Arte Moris turn into, become a formal fine arts academy, a formal fine art school that is recognized and supported by the government.

Together we developed a concept for a peace campaign. So we painted banners, we developed slogans and made posters and had even slogans on our cars, requesting that the country should re-unite again. So whatever need and whatever problem we would have, he would come and look after us, and see that we would have a kind of a protection also towards what could come from outside against the school, since we hosted all these people.

Mr. Ramos-Horta is the Nobel Prize winner in 1996. I think he is very keen to help also because he sees that we are a young generation that’s continuing his mission on participating, contributing to peace of the society.

We are hoping art is going to grow in East Timor and we hope that it's going to be continuously participating in the development of this country and create peace building for the country.

Arte Moris, this is the building from Indonesian museum in the past. So, there’s this building, and then the government and Timor Leste gave this building for Arte Moris to do, for their school , some space from the gallery, classroom, office and library. So this is the classroom for the kids.

One the place for the kids, and one place is for the urban classes. This is our room, another room for the space where they make some installation and some sculpture, and some for the colors or everything here. In general it is here, space for them to make a frame and installation or another kind of the art.

Since its founding, Arte Moris has grown as a cultural center, collaborating with a theater group and opening learning opportunities to the greater East Timorese community.

Another important thing was, to show them also the outside world. Over the years now, we organized maybe 10 exhibitions in Australia, for example Sydney, Melbourne, Geelong, Darwin, Wollongong. Usually what we would do, we would contact, or cultural institutions would contact us, and offer, for example, possibilities for exhibitions.

We had four exhibitions in Switzerland, the first one was in 2006, at the UN headquarters, Palais des Nations in Geneva, where we presented for the first time artworks from East Timor, since it's also one of the youngest members of the UN in the meantime. Then we had another exhibition the same year during the same trip, in Zurich and in the Italian part of Switzerland. So the artists would also have always the possibility to meet other artists from other countries. And all of this they bring back to the country.

By encouraging East Timorese youth to reach into their own creative abilities while extending out into the international art society, Arte Moris is nurturing leaders with firm visions and accomplishments. Eventually, the 30 original students, who are now the resident seniors, may assume complete management of the organization and pass on their knowledge to the next generation.

Since the beginning, we involved students or now the artists in daily running of the school, management of the daily work, that they also learn how to be more or less self-sustainable, because for all these years we had donors or we applied for grants. So respect your brush, respect your paint, because one day it's finished, and if we don't create a little income, that we can buy again our supplies, we will not be able to work anymore.

Luca had a very strong focus on teaching them how to recycle whatever you find, out of almost every garbage, you can do art. Soon we are going to work on a project about sea issues and beach issues. So what the sea can give us, and what we have to do to protect it, or about what we have to be aware.

With art, again, you can illustrate the problem and the beauty and explain it to people who maybe still have difficulties to read or write, because through images you can make yourself very well understood. I think it's very important for them and for all of us to be very sensible about the issues of this world. About not to forget that this world is the only world we have.

For me, Arte Moris is my life. Arte Moris is really important for me because from Arte Moris, I will develop my talent, my skill from here. And if no Arte Moris in Timor, I would not know my talent or my future. That's why Arte Moris is really important for me.

I believe that art is going to give more or be positive impact to the society life, especially in developing countries and conflict countries. So I think here we started small, but the mission is that art can participate more and more for the peace in this planet.

For more information about Arte Moris in Timor Leste, please visit

Our appreciation and applause, Arte Moris, its courageous founders Mr. and Mrs. Gansser, its supporters including His Excellency President Ramos-Horta, and all involved in helping to build a more beautiful and stronger country. May the powerful vehicle of the arts uplift the spirits of their participants and bring joy and understanding to our world.

Thank you, gentle viewers, for joining us on today’s Enlightening Entertainment. And now, please stay tuned to Supreme Master Television for Words of Wisdom, after Noteworthy News. May Heaven shower your life with peace and blessings.