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—

I won't go home—

What then? You want to stay here?

Yes.

Why?

Because...

I'll only see ghosts of you there—

I love you.’

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