Joydeb Roaja is currently a freelance artist, who received his academic degrees on Painting from the University of Chittagong, Bangladesh. He is an indigenous artist from the hill tract area of Bangladesh. Roaja was born in 1973 at Khagrachori, Chittagong.

Joy Deb has been involved with alternative arts and performance for a long time, with performances like “Back to the Trees – 3” in France (2016), participation in NIPAF Performance Art Workshop in Vietnam and performance at the Cox’s Bazar Art Festival in Chittagong and at the Bengal Foundation Visual Arts Programme. Joy Deb has also participated in the International Residency Program with Theertha Artists Collective in Colombo, Sri Lanka.

Performance title: Touching Nature

Just like the trees, the roots of human beings keep them firm and steady over the ground, providing them with the right nutrition. Our history is our roots. Geography distinguishes every son of soil from one another because grow your roots into the soil you are born to. And I believe that peace and freedom are only attainable when we go back to our roots.

In this performance, I took the soil of my hometown, the hilly areas, to the city of Dhaka. I gave some soil and water to the audience and I requested them to mix the soil and water together. Then I asked them to feel me leaving their mud-covered hands in my chest. The touch reduces a lot of distance. And then I increased the pressure, I feel reverse pressure from my audience! They increase pressure as I increase it. And when we are in pressure we are more aware of our situation.