About
Drawing has always been how ARiF tells the truth.
ARiF — a Norwegian citizen, born Arifur Rahman on 8 August 1984 in Tetiar Kanda, Shahzadpur, Sirajganj, Bangladesh — has built a practice around the belief that drawing can make difficult public realities visible.
He started drawing in 1991, teaching himself the craft with little encouragement at home. By 1995, he was making his first comics and developing a daily drawing practice. His first cartoon was published in 2004 by the satire magazine Bichhu. Soon his work, signed simply “Arif”, was appearing in Bangladeshi newspapers including Daily Jugantor, Bhorer Kagoj, Samakal, Jaijaidin, Amar Desh, Ittefaq, Prothom Alo and its satirical supplement Alpin.
Early anti-corruption cartoons brought national recognition, including prizes from Alpin, Transparency International Bangladesh, and The Daily Star. In September 2007, a cartoon published in Alpin during Ramadan provoked national controversy. ARiF was arrested on 18 September and spent six months and two days in prison before his release in March 2008. Afterward, threats and a de facto blacklisting made it impossible to continue publishing safely in Bangladesh.
That experience gave his work a lasting focus: the importance of independent publishing, humour under pressure, and the right for artists to speak in their own voice.
On 1 November 2009, while still unable to publish, he founded Toons Mag — the platform he had imagined in prison, built to give cartoonists everywhere room to publish without fear. With support from ICORN and Norwegian PEN, he relocated to Norway in 2010, when the Norwegian government granted him political asylum.
In Norway, he rebuilt his practice through Visual Arts at the Nansen Academy in Lillehammer and 3D and Animation at Kristiania University College in Oslo. His work has appeared in Norwegian outlets including Aftenposten, Ny Tid, Stavanger Aftenblad, Avisa Nordland, Samtiden, and Glåmdalen.
Alongside editorial work, he has developed exhibitions and international cartoon projects addressing equality, women’s rights, children in war, and freedom of expression—using visual storytelling to bring public issues into conversation.
Since 2015, Toons Mag has organised the annual International Cartoon Contest and Exhibition, bringing work by cartoonists from around the world to venues across Europe and Asia. The platform also presents the Cartoonist of the Year Medal, established in 2016, in recognition of outstanding contributions to cartooning.
Today, ARiF works across editorial cartooning, illustration, animation, painting, comics, publishing, and web development. Toons Mag has grown into a multilingual magazine and the organiser of international cartoon contests and exhibitions, carrying forward the same principle that defines the work: draw what needs drawing.
- Born
- 8 August 1984 · Tetiar Kanda, Shahzadpur, Sirajganj, Bangladesh
- Based in
- Norway
- Citizenship
- Norway
- Roles
- Cartoonist, Illustrator, Animator, Publisher
- Founder & Publisher
- Toons Mag (2009 — present)
- Years active
- 2004 — present
- Education
-
BA, National University of Bangladesh (2001–06)
Visual Arts, Nansen Academy, Lillehammer (2012–13)
3D & Animation, Kristiania University College, Oslo (2014–16) - Recognition
-
1st Prize, Daily Star Anti-Corruption Cartoon Competition (2007)
3rd Prize, Anti-Corruption Cartoon Competition, Transparency International Bangladesh (2006)
Special Mention, Transparency International Bangladesh (2008)
Cartoonist Pedro Memorial Grant, Norwegian Artist Federation (2015)
The BOBs — Best of Online Activism, for Toons Mag (2015) - Recognised by
- ICORN — first guest cartoonist of the International Cities of Refuge Network
- Works across
- Cartooning · Illustration · Animation · Painting · Comics · Publishing · Web development
Key moments
A life in drawings, platforms, and public conversation.
First drawings
Begins teaching himself to draw in Bangladesh.
First comics
Drawing becomes a daily practice and a way of making sense of the world.
First publication
A first cartoon appears in Bichhu, the satirical magazine of Daily Jugantor, a Bengali-language daily newspaper in Bangladesh.
The drawing that changed everything
Arrested after a cartoon published in Alpin; released after six months and two days in prison.
Toons Mag is founded
A publishing platform created to give cartoonists a place to share their work freely.
A new chapter in Norway
Granted political asylum and begins rebuilding a creative practice in Norway.
Global recognition
Toons Mag receives Deutsche Welle’s The BOBs — Best of Online Activism.
In public conversation
Sharing ideas beyond the drawing board.
From talks and cultural events to conversations about freedom of expression, the work continues wherever people gather to exchange ideas.
Awards & honours
Recognition for drawing, animation, and online activism.
Cartoonist Pedro Memorial Grant
Tegnerforbundet, Norway.
Best Online Activism
Deutsche Welle’s The BOBs award for Toons Mag Bangla, Germany.
Animated short film award
For TRY, Bangladesh.
Special Mention
Anti-Corruption Cartoon Contest, Transparency International Bangladesh.
First Prize
Anti-Corruption Cartoon Contest, Star Inside, The Daily Star, Bangladesh.
Third Prize
Alpin Pin Hunt Cartoon Contest, Prothom Alo, Bangladesh.
Third Prize
Anti-Corruption Cartoon Competition, Transparency International Bangladesh.
What guides the work
Freedom of expression
The reason Toons Mag exists at all. No brief is worth compromising the point of the work.
Craft over noise
A cartoon or illustration earns attention by being well made, not loud.
Global perspective
Twenty years across two continents and dozens of cultural contexts shape every brief.
Generosity
Toons Mag has spent over a decade making space for other people's work, not just his own.