One is a Balinese photographer who has spent twelve years working alongside people living with mental health conditions. The other is a documentarian recording how climate change is already reshaping Indonesian communities.
Rudi Waisnawa and Irene Barlian have been named the inaugural recipients of the FOTO Bali Award, an annual award presented by Nuanu Social Fund (NSF) and initiated by FOTO Bali Festival, the international photography festival launched by Nuanu Creative City. Chosen from nearly 100 applications, each receives IDR 22 million to support their practice.
“This year’s festival asked what remains after an image is made. For photographers like Rudi and Irene, what remains is years of work that is rarely paid for and too easily overlooked. We designed the award to recognise that labour on its own terms, without asking artists to turn themselves into project managers to earn it,” said Kelsang Dolma, Founding Director of the FOTO Bali Award and FOTO Bali Festival.
Unlike project-based funding, the FOTO Bali Award by Nuanu Social Fund gives recipients financial support to continue their practice, with no requirement to produce a new project.
“Nuanu Social Fund was built around humanity and nature, and these two works sit right at that intersection: one on how we care for the most vulnerable people in our communities, the other on what is happening to the land and sea we all depend on. Photographers who stay with these issues for years are doing social work. Backing them is central to why the fund exists, and it will remain so,” said Ida Ayu Astari Prada, Head of Nuanu Social Fund.
The Inaugural FOTO Bali Award by Nuanu Social Fund Recipients
Rudi Waisnawa — Hope and Freedom
Category: A Work Rooted in and Dedicated to Bali
Since 2014, Rudi Waisnawa (I Kadek Rodi Artawan) has photographed people living with mental health conditions in Bali. He uses the camera as a tool for advocacy against a stigma that keeps many of them out of sight. The project has since become a photobook, made with Nicky Hogan.
“I hope this recognition brings greater visibility and understanding to people living with mental health conditions, whose stories deserve to be heard with dignity,” said Rudi Waisnawa.
Hope and Freedom by Rudi Waisnawa, documenting the lives of people living with mental health conditions in Bali. | Photo credit: Rudi Waisnawa
Irene Barlian — Land of the Sea
Category: Works that Highlight Indonesian Realities Outside Bali
Irene Barlian began Land of the Sea in 2020. Supported by the National Geographic Society, the ongoing documentary project captures the lives of communities across Indonesia experiencing the direct impacts of the climate crisis, going beyond the numbers and projections that often dominate discussions around climate change. The work was shortlisted for the 2022 Leica Oskar Barnack Award and has been exhibited at Objectifs, Singapore.
“Land of the Sea is a story about the impact of climate change in Indonesia, told through the perspective of the communities that reside along the region. It feels surreal, yet deeply honoring, to have received this award. Winning this award drives me to keep going, to keep telling the stories I care about most,” said Irene Barlian.
Land of the Sea by Irene Barlian, a project supported by the National Geographic Society, documenting how climate change is reshaping communities across Indonesia. | Photo credit: Irene Barlian
The Jury
The award has two categories of equal weight. Recipients were selected by Ng Swan Ti, Managing Director of PannaFoto Institute; Dr. Wiyu Wahono, Indonesian contemporary art collector; and I Made Bayu Pramana, photographer and academic at the Indonesian Institute of the Arts (ISI) Bali. The judging criteria were artistic strength, visual approach, conceptual depth and narrative coherence.
“Awards such as FOTO Bali Award recognise practices built through long-term commitment. Direct support from a festival creates more opportunities for photographers to grow,” said Ng Swan Ti.
“Art has the ability to reflect the realities of its time. Both works demonstrate how photography can go beyond visual documentation to engage with the social and environmental issues shaping our world today, giving these experiences a place in our collective understanding,” said Dr. Wiyu Wahono.
“Photography plays an important role in how societies remember, understand, and reflect on their experiences. Practices like these demonstrate the enduring relevance of photography in documenting and interpreting the realities of life in Indonesia today,” said I Made Bayu Pramana.
About FOTO Bali Festival
FOTO Bali Festival was founded in 2025 and has quickly become a meeting point for Indonesian and international photography. Its second edition in 2026, AFTERIMAGE, drew nearly 700 submissions from more than 80 countries, showed 38 practitioners from 24 countries, and welcomed almost 25,000 visitors.
