Shahidul Alam is a photographer, writer, film maker, curator, institution builder and human rights defender. He was a Time Magazine Person of the Year 2018. New York Times listed his book The Tide Will Turn in Best Art Books of 2020.
He is a National Geographic Explorer at Large. His numerous awards include Ekushey Padak, the second highest civilian award in Bangladesh which was given for his contributions in education and culture.
In 2024 he represented Bangladesh in the United Nations General Assembly.
He is the founder of the agencies, Drik Picture Library and Majority World, the media school PathshalaSouth Asian Media Institute and the international festival of photography Chobi Mela.
In 2018 Alam was arrested and tortured following his reporting on the Bangladesh government’s brutal suppression of student protests. The case was dropped after a seven-year legal battle.
He is considered a prisoner of conscience by Amnesty International. He is widely published and has exhibited worldwide including at MOMA in New York, Tate Modern in London, Tehran Museum of Contemporary Arts and National Art Gallery in Kuala Lumpur.
He has chaired the international jury of World Press Photo. He is currently exhibiting at Museo Vivo del Muralismo in Mexico City.
