JIPFest announces its curatorial team ahead of the sixth edition. Chelsea Chua and Yoppy Pieter return as curators following the festival’s 2025 edition. They will host an open call and curatorial research to explore and shape the narrative on the festival theme, RESILIENCE, into exhibitions.
Yoppy has worked in Indonesia’s photography creation and education for over a decade, while Chelsea brings multidisciplinary experience in producing programmes and exhibitions, and leading developmental initiatives across the region. Their expertise will spark insightful discussions on issues surrounding humans’ adaptability to endure hardship in life.
Chelsea says “ I am looking forward to seeing image-based works that embrace the theme in expansive ways, that see beyond catastrophe to the ways in which resilience enables us to grow in solidarity and spirit. I am also curious about practices that challenge conventions and envision the world differently, to share photography’s infinite potential to surprise and excite us with new ways of seeing our world.
Yoppy adds, “I seek visual narratives that explore resilience across a broader spectrum. Works that define the word beyond survival; that articulate the active pursuit to adapt, to recover, and to grow. Herein, resilience is not merely the strength to resist, but the capacity to embrace vulnerability, engage with change, and unearth new meaning – rendering resilience a living, non-linear, and deeply human process.
The curatorial team will publicly present curated photo works to offer an immersive experience for visitors, working on its public presentation, as well as opening up conversations on the theme in the contexts of social and personal perspectives through curatorial notes and open discussions during the festival.
Click here to submit your works to be exhibited in the festival.
Chelsea Chua (Curator, Singapore)
Chelsea Chua is a cultural worker who is interested in our relationship with images and image-making. Her work as Programme Director at Objectifs Centre for Photography and Film (Singapore) involves overseeing programmes and exhibitions, and leading developmental initiatives.
She works directly with artists, photographers, curators, filmmakers and other cultural entities across Southeast Asia to develop projects such as exhibitions, talks, workshops and mentorships. She is a mentor for the South Asia Incubator, Photo Kathmandu (2025), was co-curator for Jakarta International Photography Festival (2025), and has been on selection panels for showcases such as Singapore Shorts (2021) and FotomotoPH (2024). She has made presentations and conducted workshops at regional platforms such as Angkor Photo Festival, FotomotoPH and Hong Kong International Photography Festival.
Yoppy Pieter (Curator, Indonesia)
Yoppy Pieter is a visual storyteller, educator, and curator based in Jakarta. He began his photography journey through a workshop held by PannaFoto Institute, which laid a crucial foundation for his documentary approach. He later participated in several distinguished regional and international programs, including the Permata PhotoJournalist Grant (2011), Angkor Photo Workshop (2012), the Erasmus Huis Fellowship to Amsterdam (2015), the South-East Asia & Oceania 6×6 Global Talent Program (2017), and the Joop Swart Masterclass (2019). His works have been exhibited in major platforms such as Jakarta Photo Summit #3 (2014), Jakarta Biennale (2015), Photography for Tolerance and Diversity (2017), the Mt Rokko International Photo Festival (2018), and SPECTROSYNTHESIS II (2019).
Most recently, in 2023, he was named a National Geographic Explorer and received a grant from the National Geographic Society. His work also appears in the photobook Saujana Sumpu (2016). Yoppy and collaborators from diverse fields co-founded Arkademy, an educational initiative advocating for photography as a critical and reflective medium. He also developed Heterogenic, a space dedicated to celebrating Indonesia’s visual diversity and fostering dialogue among photographers across the archipelago.
