Orijit Sen

Orijit Sen (b. 1963) is a graphic artist and designer whose practice encompasses comics, graphic novels, illustration, murals and socially engaged visual projects. He studied graphic design at the National Institute of Design (NID), Ahmedabad, and has been closely involved with the development of comics and graphic narratives in India since the early 1980s.

In 1990, Sen co-founded People Tree with designer Gurpreet Sidhu, a collaborative platform bringing together artists, designers and craftspeople. Over the years, People Tree has developed into an important space for creative exchange, artisanal practice and community-based design. Sen is also a co-founder of the Pao Collective, a group of graphic artists, and was closely involved with Pao: The Anthology of Comics #1 (Penguin, 2012).

His landmark work River of Stories (1994), published by Kalpavriksh, and is considered one of the pioneering graphic novels in India. Drawing on research, reportage and visual storytelling, Sen’s work frequently engages with questions of ecology, displacement, politics, community and everyday life. His comics and graphic works have been widely published and exhibited in India and internationally.

Between 2009 and 2011, Sen conceptualised and led a team in creating a large-scale hand-painted mural at the Virasat-e-Khalsa Museum in Anandpur Sahib, Punjab. From 2013 to 2016, he served as the Mario Miranda Chair Visiting Professor at Goa University, where he initiated the Mapping Mapusa Market Project, an interdisciplinary research and art initiative involving students, artists and educators. He has also participated in collaborative cultural projects exploring questions of cultural exchange, resistance and social history.

Sen has exhibited and worked with institutions and platforms in India and abroad and is a Fellow of the Salzburg Global Seminar. He continues to work across graphic storytelling, drawing, public art, design and research-led visual practices.