How does life endure in ruin, in silence, in absence? How do we sense it beyond the body, beyond existence? For the inaugural edition of FOTO Bali Festival, LIFE is explored in all its complexity, vitality, and intimacy. Life here encompasses not just individual existence, but also the communal, the ecological and the emotional. It is a concept that bridges personal stories and collective experiences - spanning birth, death, relationships, beginnings and endings. Through the lens, we invite you into intimate narratives that echo across broader social, ecological and political contexts.
Thirty-four lens-based practitioners - photographers, artists and storytellers respond to this year’s theme through images, photobooks and multimedia projects that reflect, challenge, or reimagine what it means to live. Their works offer varied perspectives shaped by suture, geography and history, inviting us to witness life as an unfolding journey that pulses within daily rituals, domestic spaces, motherhood, shared grief and fleeting moments of connection. Some projects confront global issues such as ecological crises or political violence, but always through deeply personal, lived experiences.
Family often emerges at the core, surrounded by nature, culture and community, reminding us that life is sometimes carried forward not by the living but by what has been lost.
The festival embraces not only narratives of everyday existence but also quiet, unresolved, or invisible stories that co-exist alongside us. We were particularly drawn to work that uncovers how seemingly mundane fragments of life embody larger forces - inequality, resilience, memory, belonging and create meaningful connections between Indonesia’s local context and global realities.
We hope you experience FOTO Bali Festival as a space where photography transcends mere documentation.
Here, images invite presence, attentive looking and deep listening. It is a space where photography reveals the subtle dialogue between personal and political, intimate and structural. Ultimately, it is a space where life, in all its fragility and resilience, is honored and made visible.
'This festival was born from a shared love for photography and is a reminder of what’s possible when people who care about art come together and truly collaborate. In many ways, it’s the natural outcome of a place like Nuanu - a community unafraid to do things differently,' said Kelsang Dolma, Festival Director of FOTO Bali Festival. 'I’m proud of what the team has built - quickly, thoughtfully and with so much heart. For an inaugural edition, the response has been incredible, and it’s only motivated us further. Photography hasn’t always been given the space it deserves in this region. This is our way of beginning to shift that.'
Curatorial Team Ng Swan Ti & Gatari Surya Kusuma
Photography Nuanu Creative City
Date 11-8-25