Yogyakarta, February 12, 2026 - The cross-country youth photography stage comes through the 1st Indonesia International Youth Photo Festival (IIYPF) 2026 which was held thanks to the collaboration of the Federation of Indonesian Senifoto Societies with the Photography Department Student Association and the Indonesian Institute of Arts Yogyakarta, with the support of partner communities and campuses in Yogyakarta and the Indonesian Ministry of Creative Economy. This festival emphasizes ISI Yogyakarta's position as a creative meeting space that brings together young talents, institutional networks, and the photography ecosystem at an international level.
One of the main series is the International Photo Exhibition themed “Visual Symphony: Melodies of the World in a Frame” which features works by young photographers from 13 countries-the United States, Brazil, Spain, Romania, Turkey, Cyprus, Egypt, Oman, China/Taiwan, the Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam, and Indonesia. The exhibition runs February 5-14, 2026 at RJ Katamsi Gallery and Pandeng Gallery.
According to the organizers, the exhibition received 1,018 works from 380 young photographers. After a curatorial selection by Agatha Anne Bunanta (FPSI), Dr. Edial Rusli (ISI Yogyakarta), and Prof. Dr. Harno Dwi Pranowo (UGM), 220 works were selected for exhibition-each representing 220 students from 13 countries. The selected young photographers were spread across 16 cities in Indonesia and came from 57 universities and 6 schools (junior and senior high school level).
The curation presents a wide spectrum of themes-from cultural narratives, daily life, to global issues-with a youthful perspective. The exhibition also received FIAP Auspices from FIAP (International Federation of Photographic Art), a recognition for international photography activities that meet FIAP's auspices; FIAP itself is recognized as an international photography organization by UNESCO.
Through this international forum, ISI Yogyakarta strengthens the role of the campus as a hub of creativity and cultural diplomacy: providing a space for young talents to perform, expanding cross-campus and community networks, while encouraging exhibition organizing standards that are connected to the global photography ecosystem. The public can visit the exhibition until February 14, 2026 at Galeri RJ Katamsi and Galeri Pandeng ISI Yogyakarta.
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