Tufan Chakma
- ART & CITIZENSHIP
*1996, Khagrachhari, Bangladesh. Lives and works in Paris, France (Temporary)
Residency period : July – August 2026
Artist, painting, illustration, animation
In partnership with the Indigenous Peoples and Minorities Section of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR).
“I am Tufan Chakma, an Indigenous visual artist from the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT), Bangladesh.
My journey as an artist began with a deep urgency to understand where I come from and why so much of it remains unseen. Growing up in the CHT, I was surrounded by a culture rooted in oral storytelling, collective memory, tradition, and a close relationship with nature. At the same time, I became aware of how easily this world can be overlooked or misrepresented in dominant narratives. That tension between a rich lived identity and limited external visibility became the driving force behind my artistic direction.
I pursued a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Jahangirnagar University, where I learned the foundations of visual language. Alongside my academic journey , I have been actively sharing my work through my widely followed Facebook page, “Tufan’s Artbin”, where I publish visual stories and cultural reflections through illustration. I can proudly say that this platform has become an important space for visibility and dialogue about the Indigenous people of CHT, allowing my work to reach a broader audience beyond academic and gallery settings, connecting directly with people who engage with Indigenous narratives globally.
That journey has now evolved into animation. I have recently completed my Master’s in animation under the Erasmus Mundus scholarship, a step that allows me to expand my practice beyond still imagery into moving narratives. With the power of reaching wider audiences, crossing borders, and communicating complex cultural truths, I believe that animation will equip me to bring Indigenous stories from the margins into a global conversation.”
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