Cihan Çakmak, born 1993 in Osterholz-Scharmbeck, Lower Saxony, Germany, is a photographer and visual artist who lives and works in Leipzig and Lisbon.

She studied photography at the university of applied arts and science Dortmund (2013-2017) graduated with a bachelor, studied a semester abroad in Lisbon at IADE (16/17) and afterwards started studying photography with focus on arts at the academy of fine arts Leipzig, graduated with a diploma and received the Rössing price for her work. She is now Meisterschülerin, which is a postgraduate, of Prof. Tina Bara at the same institution. For her studies she received a scolarship from Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung. She was often invited to artist- and socially political talks.

In 2020 she received the Paula Modersohn-Becker newcomer art price and exhibited at Worpsweder Museen. She participated in several groupshows among them in Bundeskunsthalle Bonn, Künstlerhaus Bethanien, Kunsthaus Dresden, Museum Morsbroich, DG Kunstraum and many more. She also participated in double shows at basis e.V. Frankfurt and Galerie Stephanie Kelly Dresden. Her first soloshow was in 2022 at Kunsthalle Erfurt.

Her artworks are visible at Arendt House in the frame of the EMOP (European Month of Photography) 2023 and the exhibition ‘Rethinking Identity’. She is nominated for the EMOP Arendt Award 2023.