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Dates & Venue

Festival Dates: January 16 – January 31, 2026

Opening Week: January 16 – 20, 2026 (Talks, panels, screenings)

Venues (5 Total):

    • Bangladesh National Museum
    • Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy
    • Alliance Française de Dhaka
    • DrikPath Bhobon
    • Bangladesh National Parliament (Outdoor Exhibition)

Theme

The prefix ‘Re resonates again, anew, or otherwise. A repetition, a reversal, a reopening. In times of conflict, lens-based practices reveal the paradox of the image: it bears witness, while erasing documents and troubling the narrative. Across the works assembled here, we encounter the archive and the dream, the chant and the scar, the witness and the whisper. From rivers to protests, from disappeared citizens to smuggled screenshots, these stories are more than mere testimonies. They are aftershocks, lullabies, rituals, and prayers. They remind us that to remember is to resist erasure, to tell is to preserve dignity, and to bear witness is to carry forward hope. In a world of impasse, ‘Re dares to begin again. 

Scope

Edition: 11th Edition (Celebrating the 25th Anniversary of Chobi Mela)

Exhibitions: 9 Total (6 Group Shows, 3 Solo Shows)

Participants: 58 Artists from 18 Countries across 5 Continents

Education: 6 Workshops & a School Programme engaging 1,000+ students

Fellowships: 9 Fellows supported by Durjoy Bangladesh Foundation

For Press kit requests and media enquiries, please email:

chobimelapress@drik.net 

Chobi Mela Press Team 

For National Media, please contact:

+8801786502671, +8801324291281

For International Media, please contact:
Whatsapp: +447966424810
 

About Us

Chobi Mela, the first festival of photography in Asia, is one of the most exciting ventures that Drik and Pathshala has initiated. The first Chobi Mela – International Festival of Photography was held in December 2000 – January 2001. It is the most demographically inclusive photo festival in the world and is held every two years in Dhaka.