A Global Lens on Memory: FOTO Bali Festival 2026 Expands the Conversation at Nuanu Creative City
- Expats Lifestyle
- 7 days ago
- 3 min read
Bali’s evolving creative hub hosts 36 international artists exploring how images shape memory, identity, and time
Bali’s cultural landscape continues to evolve, and this summer, it sharpens its global focus through photography. Returning for its second edition, FOTO Bali Festival 2026 brings together 36 artists from 24 countries, selected from nearly 700 submissions worldwide from Wednesday, 3 June 2026 to Sunday, 12 July 2026.
Set within the expansive grounds of Nuanu Creative City, the festival unfolds as both exhibition and dialogue, positioning photography not just as an art form, but as a way of understanding how we remember, connect, and interpret the world around us.
At the heart of this year’s edition is the theme Afterimage, a concept that feels particularly relevant in a time when images circulate endlessly across screens and cultures. The selected works explore how photographs linger beyond the moment they capture, shaping narratives of identity, history, and collective experience.
The lineup reflects a striking diversity of voices and practices across Asia, Africa, Europe, the Americas, and Oceania. The 36 selected artists are: Akshay Mahajan (India), Alessandro Bo (Mexico), Anita Khemka & Imran Kokiloo (India), Aprillio Abdullah Akbar (Indonesia), Arhant Shrestha (Nepal), Aziziah Diah Aprilya (Indonesia), Bertha Wang (China), Ceicillia Dita (Indonesia), Charmaine de Heij (Netherlands / Suriname), Chiara Goia (Italy), Chloe Bartram (Australia), Daniela Balestrin (Brazil), Gab Mejia (Philippines), Gianluca Lanciai (Italy), Ha Dao (Vietnam), Igor Schiller (Serbia), Jiatong Lu (China), Joel Jimenez (Costa Rica), Joyantee Raina (Bangladesh), Kate Perfilieva (Russia), Keyza Widiatmika (Indonesia), Kibe Nduni (Kenya), Lars Dyrendom & Inuk Jørgensen (Denmark / Greenland), Made Virgie Avianthy (Indonesia), Martín Bollati (Argentina), Muhammad Dwiki Viansa (Indonesia), Nadège Mazars (France), Nicolás Bernal (Colombia), Primagung D. Riliananda (Indonesia), Rodrigo Illescas (Argentina), Santiago Escobar-Jaramillo (Colombia), Sean Cham (Singapore), Valeria Arendar (Argentina / Mexico), Vinit Gupta (India), Wimadetra (Indonesia), and Yuki Furusawa (Japan).
From documentary storytelling to conceptual and interdisciplinary approaches, the festival presents a wide spectrum of contemporary photographic practices, with a strong presence of Indonesian artists grounding the global dialogue in local perspectives.
What emerges is not just an exhibition, but a layered exchange across geographies and generations. The festival’s open call remains central to its ethos, allowing both emerging and established voices to be selected purely on the strength of their work and its resonance with the theme. A dual-curator approach further enriches this perspective, ensuring a more nuanced and multidimensional interpretation of contemporary photography today.
Supported by Indonesia’s national tourism platform Wonderful Indonesia, the festival also signals a broader ambition: to position Bali as a meeting point for global creative exchange while staying rooted in its cultural identity.
Within Nuanu itself, this ambition feels tangible. The 44-hectare creative city is designed as an integrated ecosystem where art, education, wellness, entertainment, and nature intersect. It is less a traditional venue and more a living environment, one that encourages visitors to move between exhibitions, installations, and open-air spaces, blurring the line between viewing art and experiencing it.
Plan Your Visit
FOTO Bali Festival 2026
Dates: Wednesday, 3 June 2026 to Sunday, 12 July 2026
Location: Nuanu Creative City, Bali, Indonesia
Ticket: IDR 50,000 inclusive of entry to Nuanu Creative City and access to FOTO Bali 2026
Website: https://www.nuanu.com/
For those planning an extended visit, Nuanu also offers accommodation options and curated experiences within the creative city, making it possible to stay on-site and fully immerse in the festival atmosphere.
[PHOTO: Courtesy of Nuanu Creative City]
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