Photo Essay

CAFUNÉ

DYUTIMAN MUKHOPADHYAY

'Cafuné'—a term from Brazilian Portuguese—refers to the gentle, affectionate act of running one’s fingers through the hair of someone you love—a word that arguably lacks a direct English translation.

Enamel paint on bathroom tiles composited with photographs taken with Redmi Note 8 Pro.

—Painting and photography by Dyutiman Mukhopadhyay.

Painting: October 4, 2025; Photographs: July 30 & October 4, 2025. Bangalore, India.

‘You have to go—

I don't want to…

Me neither.

I don't want to—

What then? You want to stay here?

Yes.

Why?

Because...

I'll only see ghosts of you there—’

—from the 2021 French film Mi Iubita Mon Amour (Romanian and French for "my beloved"), directed and co-written by and starring Noémie Merlant.