FOTO Bali Festival 2026 has officially opened at Nuanu Creative City, marking the start of its second edition and further establishing Bali as an emerging platform for photography and lens-based practices in Southeast Asia.
Running from June 3 to July 12, 2026, the 40-day festival unfolds under the theme “Afterimage,” bringing together artists, curators, educators, institutions, collectives, and audiences through a multidisciplinary program that expands photography beyond exhibitions into learning, research, publishing, public dialogue, and professional exchange.
Exploring What Remains After the Image
Following an international open call that attracted nearly 700 submissions from more than 80 countries, FOTO Bali Festival 2026 presents works by 36 artists from 24 countries.
The selected projects examine photography as memory, evidence, archive, trace, and speculation, asking what remains after an image is made and how photographs continue to shape the way people understand history, identity, place, and contemporary realities.
“Photography offers a way to connect with different places, histories, and ways of seeing,” said Kurniadi Widodo and Putu Sridiniari, the festival’s curatorial team.
“Afterimage invites us to think about what remains after attention has moved elsewhere. Many of the works in this edition are concerned with persistence—how histories continue to shape the present, how landscapes carry traces of transformation, and how photographs themselves accumulate meaning over time.”
The curators added that photography is not simply a medium of documentation, but also one that allows audiences to engage with complexity, uncertainty, and the social realities that continue to evolve.
A Distinct Southeast Asian Model
As photography festivals increasingly become spaces for research, publishing, education, and cultural exchange, FOTO Bali Festival offers a unique model rooted in Southeast Asia.
Held within Nuanu Creative City, the festival places international photographic practices in dialogue with local contexts, regional networks, and new audiences.
“FOTO Bali Festival brings the world’s photographers to one of the most photographed places on earth, and in its second year, the festival is becoming a real meeting point between Bali and the global image-making community,” said Lev Kroll, CEO of Nuanu Creative City.
“For us, making Nuanu a meeting place of ideas and talent is the goal, and we are honored to host such a significant exhibition.”
Beyond the Exhibition Space
The 2026 edition spans several venues across Nuanu Creative City, including Labyrinth Art Gallery, Labyrinth Dome, Popper’s Triangle, Block 42, and the Tea Room.
The festival features exhibitions, photobooks, multimedia works, site-specific presentations, public talks, workshops, screenings, and projection-based programs.
“FOTO Bali Festival was never meant to be only an exhibition,” said Kelsang Dolma, Festival Director of FOTO Bali Festival.
“For photography to grow meaningfully in this region, artists need access to more than walls. They need conversations around grants, publishing, mentorship, archives, audiences, and international circulation.”
The public program brings together cultural institutions, photography platforms, grant-making organizations, publishers, artist collectives, and visual practitioners to discuss topics ranging from research-driven storytelling and cultural archiving to mentorship, funding opportunities, and international exposure.
Strengthening Local and Regional Connections
Alongside the main exhibition, the festival also highlights collaborations with Indonesian cultural and creative communities, including a special exhibition with MTN Seni Budaya and ISI Bali, as well as The Voyager, a presentation by Bali Motion Club featuring 15 visual artists from across Indonesia.
These collaborations reinforce FOTO Bali Festival’s identity as an event that is international in scope while remaining deeply connected to local and regional artistic exchanges.
Over its 40-day run, FOTO Bali Festival 2026 invites audiences to engage with photography as a medium of memory, reflection, research, and public participation while positioning Bali as an increasingly important center for artistic and cultural dialogue in Southeast Asia.
