The exhibition, curated by Andrew Miller, will be formally opened at the Mining Exchange on Sunday, October 11 and is on display until October 31.

Mr Miller said Ballarat has had a strong relationship with East Timor for more than a decade.

“The special focus of this exhibition is the opportunity to bring together a collection of Timor art that has been collected over about eight years,” he said.

“The Ballarat connection with East Timor started back in the 1990s when East Timor was in turmoil with the Indonesian occupation of the country and Ballarat was heavily involved in getting the story out.

“In the early 2000s Ballarat saw the opportunity to develop a community connection to assist in the rebuild of the country and in 2003 it established its formal connection with Timor with a formal friendship agreement.”

Timor-Leste artist Marqy da Costa is central to the formation of the exhibit and will also be on hand to run workshops on lino-printing techniques.

Mr da Costa said it is a “great experience” to witness Australian and East Timor art in one place, with several pieces dating back decades.

Ballarat Mechanics Institute has also donated a significant piece of work to the exhibition.

“As the community from Ballarat and East Timor has this mutual connection, this exhibition can tell how we’ve been friends through Australia’s support for Timor when it was set for independence,” Mr da Costa said.

“We hope we will still continue to join together.

“This is about to stating publicly that Timor and Ballarat has its own connection, not only in government and administration, but through artists and the community.”

A youth arts partnership has developed a strong understanding of challenges young people face in Timor-Leste, with both countries sharing projects across education, health, music, theatre and sport sectors.