Arifur Rahman Munir began to explore how photography could be a means towards self-discovery while working at his printing press, a job he held for 19 years.

A lifelong fan of books and films, and a light designer with the Dhaka Theatre, his passion for photography began with these roots and saw him enroll to become a student at Pathshala at the age of 40.

Now he is comfortable working in spaces that involve emotions and value. He documents psycho-social relationships existing in diverse social orders with instinct and zeal.

Munir is inspired by the writer, Susan Sontag’s comment that she looked to life as an interpreter of her dreams, rather than her dreams as interpreters of her life. He seeks to translate his dreams onto photo papers.

Born in 1970 in Barisal, southern Bangladesh, he works as a freelance photographer, having joined Pathshala in 1999. His career has seen him work on diverse issues across Nepal, Malaysia, and Thailand, and he has worked for national and international organizations. He finished his graduation in 1990.

Keen to nourish his desire for lifelong learning, Munir is a keen participant in workshops around the world. These include joint collaborative programmes between Pathshala and Nepal’s Photo Circle, and with Oslo University College in Norway. He has taken part in workshops and programmes run by Philip Blenkinsop of Noor images, Munem Wasif and Lauren Lablanc of Agence Vu, Peruvian curator Jorge Villacorta, Sohrab Hura and Shannon Lee in Singapore, learning about subjects as diverse as documentary photography and alternative printing.