JOYDEB ROAJA

His works are tied to the experiences of indigeneity, often emphasising the deep and symbiotic connection of these groups with their land as well as the fight for recognition and rights in a state that has denied them. In line drawings, figures are entwined with the natural world and at times, share the pictorial plane with army personnel, guns and ammunition recalling the historic military occupation of the hill area. This presence remains imprinted in the communities’ collective memory with Roaja’s works forming an empowering call to demand autonomy and ensure preservation of these minority cultures.

Roaja received his MFA in painting from Chittagong University in 1999.

His work has been exhibited widely in solo and group shows internationally, including: APT 11, Brisbane (2024); University of Limerick (2023); Kiran Nadar Museum of Art, New Delhi (2023); Dhaka Art Summit (2023); Kochi-Muziris Biennale (2022); Fondazione Elpis, Milan (2022); Jhaveri Contemporary, Mumbai (2022, solo); SAVVY Contemporary, Berlin (2022); Kathmandu Triennale (2022); Chobi Mela Shunno, Dhaka (2021); Sea Art Festival, Busan (2021); Galleria d’Arte Modernae Contemporanae, Bergamo (2020); Alserkal Avenue, Dubai (2019); Museum of Modern Art, Warsaw; TS1, Yangon; Para/Site Art Space, Hong Kong; Dhaka Art Summit (2018); The Tetley, Leeds (2017); Nippon International Performance Art Festival (NIPAF), Asia (Vietnam, 2016 and Japan, 2014); NIPAGEN Tokyo: Performance Art Today (2016).

Joydeb Roaja’s work forms part of many public collections, including Ashmolean Museum of Art and Archaeology, Oxford; Durjoy Bangladesh Foundation, Dhaka; FENIX Museum of Migration, Rotterdam; The Guggenheim, Abu Dhabi; Kadist Foundation, Paris; Kiran Nadar Museum of Art, New Delhi; M+ Museum, Hong Kong; Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Samdani Art Foundation, Dhaka; Tate Modern, London.

Text courtesy Jhaveri Contemporary.