Abul Kalam was born in 1985 in Burgaozbil, Sittwee. He came to Bangladesh in 1996 at the age of 12 escaping discrimination and torture by the Myanmar military. He now lives in the Kutupalong Rohingya Registered Camp with his wife and 3 children. He has been working as a professional photographer for over a decade documenting the Rohingya people in Bangladesh bringing attention to their plight and ongoing struggle for recognition and rights.

His photographic journey started in 2008 when he became a field assistant to Saiful Huq Omi, a renowned Bangladeshi photographer. In late December 2019, Abul Kalam was arrested (The Guardian & RSF) whilst taking photographs of refugees leaving in buses to Bhasan Char island. A worldwide campaign was launched to call for his release with prominent personalities supporting the campaign including artist Ai Weiwei and renowned Bangladeshi photographer Shahidul Alam. He was finally released after a few weeks. His work has been exhibited at the 19th Oxford Human Rights Festival, the Museum of Trust & Dialogue for the Mediterranean in Lampedusa and numerous other venues. His work has been widely published including by AFP, Reuters, The Daily Star, Dhaka Tribune and others.