Eyewitness – TABANAN
June 3, 2026, Nuanu Bali
Returning for its second edition from June 3 to July 12, 2026, the festival features 36 artists from 24 countries through a series of exhibitions, discussions, workshops, special projects, and public programs designed to expand access to photography in Bali and Indonesia.
FOTO Bali Festival 2026 officially opened today at Nuanu Creative City, marking the commencement of the festival’s second edition under the theme Afterimage. Running from June 3 to July 12, 2026, the 40-day event serves as a collaborative intersection for artists, educators, students, cultural institutions, collectives, and the general public within spaces dedicated to photography, visual culture, and the exchange of ideas.
Following an international open call that received nearly 700 submissions from over 80 countries, the 2026 edition showcases works from 36 selected artists representing 24 nations. Curated by Kurniadi Widodo and Putu Sridiniari, the featured works explore photography as memory, evidence, traces, archives, and speculation—inviting the public to question what remains after an image is created and how photography continuously shapes the way we understand ourselves, one another, and the world around us.
”Photography offers a way to connect with diverse places, histories, and perspectives,” said Kurniadi Widodo and Putu Sridiniari, the Curatorial Team of FOTO Bali Festival 2026. “AFTERIMAGE prompts us to reflect on what is left behind once attention shifts elsewhere. What happens after a photograph is taken: how is it edited, arranged, contextualized, published, archived, shared, or remembered? Many works in this edition speak to the continuity of traces—how history continuously shapes the present, how landscapes hold signs of change, and how photography accumulates meaning over time. We view photography not merely as a medium of documentation, but as a vehicle to understand the complexities, uncertainties, and various negotiations that shape our social reality.
This edition brings together artists from Indonesia and various corners of the world who have grown in diverse contexts, while simultaneously reflecting our interest in how images move across geographies, carrying traces of memory and power relations, and opening channels for meaningful cross-regional dialogue.”
Despite hosting international artists and audiences, the festival remains deeply rooted in Bali. This connection to the local context is reflected in collaborations with MTN Seni Budaya, the Photography Study Program at ISI Bali, and the Bali Motion Club, a local visual collective.
Through these partnerships, students, educators, artists, and the local creative community are engaged not just as spectators, but as active participants in the festival. Through exhibitions, discussions, workshops, film screenings, projection programs, and various public gatherings, FOTO Bali Festival presents photography as an accessible medium to be enjoyed, discussed, shared, and developed collectively.
“FOTO Bali Festival brings global photographers to one of the most photographed places in the world. Entering its second year, this festival is increasingly evolving into a tangible meeting point between Bali and the global image-making community,” said Lev Kroll, CEO of Nuanu Creative City.
“For us, making Nuanu a melting pot for ideas and talent is a primary goal, and we feel honored to host this extraordinary exhibition.”
The 2026 edition takes place across various spaces within Nuanu Creative City, including the Labyrinth Art Gallery, Labyrinth Dome, Japanese Garden, and Block 42. These diverse venues offer distinct ways to experience photography, ranging from gallery exhibitions and photobook displays to multimedia works, public projects, discussions, workshops, and various educational formats.
” From the outset, FOTO Bali Festival was never intended to be just an exhibition,” stated Kelsang Dolma, Festival Director of FOTO Bali Festival. “For photography to thrive sustainably in this region, practitioners need more than just exhibition spaces. They require ongoing dialogues regarding funding, publishing, mentorship, archiving, audiences, and international circulation.
This year’s program is our effort to present a portion of that ecosystem—not only to enhance visibility but also to build long-term sustainability.”
Education and ecosystem empowerment stand as core focuses of FOTO Bali Festival 2026. The festival collaborates with cultural institutions, photography platforms, grant-making organizations, artist collectives, educators, and visual practitioners to support various stages of photographic practice. The public programming provides access to often hard-to-reach knowledge, spanning funding strategies, research and storytelling, cultural archiving, analog processes, mentorship, publishing, to international circulation opportunities.
Throughout its 40-day run, FOTO Bali Festival 2026 invites the public to experience photography as a medium of memory, reflection, and intellectual exchange, while reinforcing Bali’s role as a vital meeting ground for artistic practice, education, and community.
Reporter : Daniel Herry
