Bio
Born in 1973 at Khagrachori, Chittagong .he completed M.F.A. in painting (1999) from Chittagong University, Joydeb Roaja is a dynamic Artist known for his painting and performance. He grew up in a rural hilly land, and currently living and working in Chittagong, Bangladesh. He is the Vice Chairman of Porapara Space For Artists and General Secretary (2019-2020) of Hill Artist Group. Most of his Paintings, Drawing Installation and Performance Artworks are influenced by hill tracts life, Indigenous culture and nature. His works are very personal yet strongly connect us to several contemporary political discourses of ethnic rights, inclusivity, oppression and an urge for saving nature, land and culture. Joydeb has participated Creative Transmission project named as “Future of hope” আশা during this global pandemic by Durjoy Bangladesh Foundation. Joydeb had his solo exhibition in NIPAGEN in Japan; and recently participated in 25th Nippon international performance art festival, Japan. In 2019 his works were presented in Fabric(ated) Fractures, a collaboration between the Samdani Art Foundation Dhaka and Alserkal- Dubai. He has participated in numerous exhibitions and workshop in home and abroad, including ‘Performance Art Intensive’-The Tetley, Uk in 2017, ‘Back to the Trees -3’ Besançon, France in 2016, NIPAF Performance Art Workshop in Vietnam in 2016, 17th NIPAF Asia,Japan in 2014 and “Movement will become sculpture” arranged by Britto Art trust Bangladesh in 2004. In 2005 he was awarded with an artist in residency at Thirtha, Colombo, Srilanka.
I am proud of being a part of ongoing Creative Transmission project named as “Future of hope” আশা during this global pandemic by Durjoy Bangladesh Foundation. I would like to express my thanks and gratitude to Mr Durjoy Rahman , the founder of Durjoy Bangladesh Foundation to give me opportunity to work with well-known famous artists. Especially during the time of working I got to talk a lot with Artist Shishir Bhattacharjee and fictional art critic Professor Syed Manzoorul Islam about art and Literature. My subject is “The right to relief”
I see a lot of pictures of relief distribution on Facebook after the outbreak of Corona started in Bangladesh. The people receiving are seen embarrassed and helpless while those who are giving relief wear smiles of victory on the faces! There’s one person receiving one sack of rice from multiple relief givers! The people giving relief are smiling faced at the camera, and the one who is receiving it is busy trying to hide his face in shame and humiliation! I have imagined myself standing in the line of those people receiving reliefs many times in fear, not being able to sleep at night! After that, I kept imagining a hope in my mind, if only it were like that! Basically, I have taken this hope as the subject of my work. I have taken some pictures from social media. Indigenous people are receiving relief. I have envisioned those people who will be able to deliver in the future! I basically like to introduce myself as a performance artist; most of my drawing is related to the content of performance art. In this video I have tried to summarize my work process. The thing that I like, I have taken myself as the subject in this Future of Hope project! I hope relief in the future will be the right of every human being. The well-off peoples will not only take selfless, they will love people and come forward from the heart to the danger of others.
Artwork: The Right to Relief, 2020
