Curatorial Team

"A photograph is never merely a record of what is seen; it is shaped by memory, imagination, and the creator’s inner understanding. At FOTO Bali Festival, we offer a platform where photography is presented as an invitation to engage more deeply with the stories we inherit and the futures we imagine. As curators, we are committed to holding space for layered narratives — selecting works that reveal the shifting, multidimensional relationships between people, origins, and cultures, rather than simplifying them to a single perspective. We envision the festival not as a showcase, but as a site of exchange — a place where the acts of photographing and witnessing are equally honoured." —

Ng Swan Ti and Gatari Surya Kusuma, Curators of FOTO Bali Festival.

Ng Swan Ti

Ng Swan Ti has been actively involved in various photography initiatives over the past two decades. Starting her career as a photographer in 2000, she currently serves as the Managing Director of PannaFoto Institute and co-founder of the Jakarta International Photo Festival (JIPFest). As a curator, she was part of the curatorial team for Vision 20/20: Community (Jakopič Gallery, 2020); Erratic Dream (PhMuseum, 2021); Space (JIPFest 2021), Tracing Inherited History (Hong Kong International Photo Festival, 2021), and Revival (JIPFest, 2022).She has also contributed as a mentor for the Women Photograph Mentorship Class (2022), and the Objectifs Documentary Award (2023). Recently, she has served as a jury member for the World Press Photo Contest (2024), the Hamburg Online Portfolio Review (2024), and the FotoMoto Exhibition (2025).

Gatari Surya Kusama

Gatari Surya Kusuma is a researcher and curator based in Bali, Indonesia. She works between collective and personal practices, focusing on building networks of solidarity through ideas of togetherness and collectivity. She believes curatorial work should create spaces where art, community, and institutions intertwine, especially to surface overlooked and unheard stories.Since 2015, Gatari has been involved with KUNCI Study Forum & Collective and Bakudapan Food Study Group, working on artistic research related to food, agrarian issues, and critical pedagogy. She co-curated Struggles for Sovereignty (2019), platforms connecting art, activism, and ecological struggles. She was a 2021–2022 Fellow for Situated Practice at BAK, basis voor actuele kunst, and a 2024 recipient of the Prince Claus Seed Award.