Updated 7 months ago
b. 1968 – December 9, 2016.
Sumatra/Batak/Indonesian Artist
Died from either fatal complications after taking an antibiotic (Ciprofloxacin) to treat a urinary tract infection, or Sporadic Fatal Insomnia see also BBC article
Full Story in the video description here
Here is an interview from 2004:
meets
Chay – Daya Cayung – Ricard Junjungan Siagian
Introduction
“I am just a stardust mirror or spark floating strings just like you.
Means we are all great
if we are aware.
As I am appear in human form,
I am not perfect in human eyes.”
Below is my interview with artist, Cayung Siagian (Chay).
Chay has given me permission to edit his answers. I have tried to use his words where ever possible. The last answer is a direct quote. I felt that editing that particular entry would have changed its sentiment and meaning.
I am honored to have had this opportunity to interact with Chay. He is a kind hearted, humble, generous, talented visionary.
His art provokes the mind to explore its natural heritage and invites our eyes to look beyond time and spatial boundaries. Chay’s dragon danced with me during a psychedelic experience and led me on my quest to understand this amazing artist. I would like to thank Chay for his time, attention and pure light.
I am grateful for his encouragement and inspiration.
I am truly blessed.
Peace & Light,
Joanne
What was your first piece of psychedelic art… and what inspired it?
I can’t really remember it. What I know for sure is that I used to do art homework for high school students when I was in elementary school. I consider them psychedelic art; geometrical woven lines, fractal batik patterns and plants in colorful watercolors. At that time, my father was providing dormitory rooms for 30 students a year. The students knew that I liked to use their watercolors. So, I would do their homework in exchange. Slick but valuable.
What occurrence spurred you to begin creating psychedelic art?
My curiosity of natural power and science and often my dreams drive me to express and create psychedelic works. Also, my ancestors’ souls nesting in me, protecting me, making me comfortable and inspiring me to promote my visionary life. Oh, yeah, and GORGA the art of my ancestors. There are no words to explain it.
Your dragon is magnificent. How long did it take you to finish the piece? And what made you to create it?
Thank you. Actually it is not finished yet and I don’t think it ever will be finished, technically. Especially since I live here in New York. Everything seems to move too fast…..no time to accomplish anything. But the concept is almost there. It took me almost three years to complete the process. Starting with the idea, then the concept, the different ego, draft sketch, canvas sketch etc…. Its look wrestles to be exposed and it travels to peoples’ eyes. It’s the first dragon that I’ve seen in my life that has long hair instead of fins all over its back. I planned to finish it in time for the Dreamcatcher New Year’s Eve party in 2002 but there was a message in my head that told me to take my time and focus my energy to finish it. Actually, this is a collaboration piece. Some good friends helped me with the fillings. I created it because I wanted to represent the Asian vibe and vision in the psychedelic world.
This fantasy mind creation is also beyond psychedelic. It’s a magical thing. In general view, just imagine a creation with the body of a snake, the tail of a tropical peacock, the eyes of an owl, the fangs of a lion, the legs of a Lady Amherst pheasant, a human nose and five fingers like a human, sharp falcon fingernails, a fish mustache, reindeer horns, horse’s hair, a crocodile’s mouth, the ears of a bat etc…. Personally, I like the tongue but I can’t say what creature it represents. Finally, its breath is fire bursting with lights, energy and overactive molecules. This is beyond what we can see in the open air of nature or even underwater. This is a psychedelic, total fantasy taken from centuries ago. It’s a magical dream that will always exist in the Asian mind….it will never be born and it will never die.
Do you have any other psychedelic art pieces that are special to you?
Yes, actually my first oil finger painting on canvas. It’s a 20 x 20 canvas called “The Answer.” It doesn’t look very psychedelic but my experience right before I started it was beyond psychedelic. It was my self and base from my true experience on New Year’s Eve 1995. There is also another piece that is also a mixed oil and finger painting called “Tondi Najolo” which means “Pass Time Spirits.” It’s 2.5ft x 5ft in size. It was created in the same year and is purely sketched with a natural mushroom atmosphere. It took me about seven years to complete these works.
What message do you want to send to people about your art?
My art is my stargate, my life protection and my companion. All of my art is also a collaborative gate. They will mean nothing without good and aware eyes. So, let’s accept art to link the distance, difference, and diversity in humankind. And allow it to bridge the gap between our backgrounds and colors. Let’s open and melt, mirroring each other flowing back into our natural beliefs which have been forcibly pushed from our brains and led us away from the natural way. Let’s link to become one peaceful nation. We should rely on each other the way that the art needs our eyes and our eyes need the art. The leader of this nation will be love. What a fantasy, eh?
You grew up in Indonesia. How do you feel about the destruction of the rain forest?
I just can’t see it anymore. My tears have dried for it and for the future of the creatures who depend upon it. We take the beauty of their home away every single minute. I can’t read the newspaper articles about the floods that never cease to kill innocent lives and that bring disease. I disapprove of the greedy politicians that use their pretty masks to cover their cold-blooded faces. I just gave up or let’s say that I’m resting for now.
About a month ago there was a water flood in the Sumatra National Park and Orangutan Rehabilitation Center. I don’t want to mention how many meters the water rose above its normal level. There were hundreds of people that died in a very, very little village. Which means that everything that was there was washed away. We all know why this happened. All the trees have been exported to print the documents that we are all so proud of. And the land has been taken from whatever life that was living there to fulfill human greed. Ah….let’s stop whining about it…
Are there any new artists that you are fond of? Someone in particular that we should notice?
I consider myself as a young new artist in this modern psy-trance era. So, if you mean an artist that is new to me….there are many of them. A lot of young, talented, genius artists are arising in this time. They have more time, tools, opportunity and support from their surroundings. I admire most of them. Whether they are less-lyrical musicians or visionary artists. But if I have to choose one or two from the hundreds that we should notice in this era, I will choose Romio Shrestha, Robert Beer and Alex Grey.
Are there any other artists that you admire? And what makes you feel that way about them?
Yes, there is one man in particular. His name is Ida Bagus Made Poleng. I am sunk into his concept about art and the value of art to the art “visiences” (this is my own word for the people who see the art with the eyes instead of audiences). He believes that money and other documents should mean nothing if the art arrives purely in the very center of the visioner expanding within them.
As in the physical eye perspective or in the third eye perspective. He is very anti gallery politic and anti art mafia. He only gives his artwork away to museums or to particular people that he thinks deserve to keep his artwork. He is the true art rebel, of my knowledge, in this era. I’ve never had a chance to talk with him even though we passed on the Raya Street at least three times a week and had tea break in the Warung when I lived in Ubud.
We always had a strong eye contact that I noticed and sometimes he gave me a rare hidden smile.
I think his artwork is magnificent. Unfortunately, he passed away in 1999.
There is someone else, that I know of, that also lived in Ubud. He’s someone that doesn’t like to show his artwork to the public for some reason. I accidentally saw a piece of his artwork, off in a dark room of his home, while we shared a spiced cigarette, in front of his house. I asked him if I could see the artwork. He looked at me and scrutinized my eyes and then said come on in. I can’t wait to see or meet him again so I can see more of his work.
Is there anything that you want people to know about you?
“Not much, I am just a stardust mirror or spark floating strings just like you. Means we are all great if we are aware. As I appear in human form, I am not perfect in human eyes.”
Timeline
1968 Born in Balige, North Sumatra, Indonesia ( Toba Batak Tribe)
1979 “Merdeka” (Free) Drawing contest winner, Balige
l989 Solo painting demonstration, “Lake Toba Festival”, Parapat, North Sumatra
l995 Soul and heart totally immersed to the art universe
l997 Solo open-air finger painting exposition, “Free Journey” at Junjungan Village rice field, Ubud, Bali
1998 “Holy Joy” exhibition, Cayung Studio, Taman Ubud, Bali
l999 “Freakadelic Circus” Art Show, at Coney Island High, New York, USA
2000 Jan. 1st. Broadway “Millenium Fact” Finger Painting Demonstration, Soho, NYC, USA
2000 Dec. 9th. “Vision” Gathering of People, Minds and Art. Boston.
Links
Facebook
Deviant Art
http://www.gallart.net/painters/cayung/siagian.htm
Discography
Joanne’s art can be found here.
The Batak
Check about the Batak, the pirates that Chay descended from in the 5 hour documentary about Indonesia, “Ring of Fire.” The original documentary was removed from Youtube, but here’s an interview with the film maker:
Prose & Poem
Ever since I was a child, I have been in love with nature and curious about the mystery of the Universe. I was inspired by flavor, sounds, images and feelings and I developed deep awareness of supernatural and spiritual power. My soul explores the powerful experience of living in a world of cultural juxtapositions in which past, present, future, tradition and contradiction, are interwoven with dreams and consciousness. A deep reverence for nature illuminates the beauty of an evolving human spirit.
Crisis of ecology, political turmoil, social repression and economic development are affecting each creature as civilization becomes increasingly globalized. This phenomenon inspires me to envision a path in which this cycle of cultures can harmonize to a shared rhythm – together riding in the music of joy, anger and sadness.
I feel that what is most important is to give selflessly from a pure and truthful place in the heart. Generosity that seeks to be truly humble creates the capacity of experiencing life in a way that brings joy and fullfilment to the labyrinthine depth of the soul.
Destiny
Searching, exploring, seeking,
My Destiny sailed the sky, like the sun.
My perfect senses unable to comprehend.
I can only contain it with love,
That which is innumerable and beyond understanding
It’s many auras, Drifting, orbiting the purity.
My moment of realisation.
I read the pages of the Book of Knowledge.
Its words are restlessly interpreting the world whose sweet temptation enchants me, fills me with longing.
This world, which is often called “Civilisation.”
Searching, questing, My body, jealous of my spirit.
My dense blood obstructs my Soul with My humanity, My heroism, My egoism, My hypocrisy, My greed, my cruelty, My arrogance, and my curiosity.
Seeking, seeking, I try to find the answer, by way of Art and Love.
-January 13, 2000
About his art
i am doing deco mostly for an awared eyes, i can not count how many people already want to purchase my artworks with the money that could feed me without working for a long periods of time. but my answer for them is NO, SORRY THEY ARE NOT FOR SELL. why, because again these artworks supposed to be for the awared eyes like psytrance people that i expect, not just for tycoon’s living room that could only be seen by five or ten of their friends or their obeyers that mostly “narrow minded”.
About Trance
I am from Far Asia were I experienced most of the trance life and surround it (not the synthetic ones in my everyday life, school, ceremonies, etc). But most European Artist (mostly German not UK) has driven me crazy(+++) for so many times without drugs. I Don’t know why perhaps because of their uniqe struggle for freedom create the blast of energy. And now we are also hunting for one name (from german) that has disappeared since Lovina Hill Black Beach 3d3n Foolmoon Party (North Bali) 1995. ….still haven’t found him. But everybody like variety, I don’t want to eat chocolate every day, I also want to taste something else.
The party was explained with no words I have to put the words;…everybody just let them self pounded, flying, swimming, tweaked and blended inside the dynamical cosmic penetration. Complete set, line up and deco. Am I too poetic?
Laughing at a Crazy Naked Guy at 55 Lex
it’s remind me about datura overdozes in someone back in the days. it just one seed over from what shaman supposed to prescripe. the aware wich will just smile witnesing the freaky fool energy. if this in a summer i will still able to understand, but in the winter? i don’t know about that? not to mention the cumin odor in 3feet radius. hehe, sorry.daya
What You Dont want To See On the Dancefloor? daya
Tell about your experience. Me, I hate:
1.PEOPLE TALKTALKTALK in the midle of the crowd, or someone that keep attracting you to talk from the begining to the end of the party.
2.CIGARETTE SMOKERS. I don’t care if its not cool but I hate to inhale that killing cloud when i need to take a deep breath while I am dance.
3. gays that kept watching you like watching a piece of burger, again I am not discriminating but many of them are “too much” for me
4.KISSING COUPLE from the beginning to the end of party like no other place, chilout room or other house club
5.A “STRANGERS” that have no idea what is going on and just overacting doing silly thing just to get attraction that usually annoying (and when i see these kind of people take my bag back from the floor)
Why is the NYC Scene Growing?
Maybe because the people have more access to the diversitivity, internet and other visual media, include communication such cellphones (“to make sure from friends that the party is tonight not tomorrow night”), emails, mailing list, good search engine and good keywords, open minds, curiosity and the last should be reputation. psytrance reputation in all underground gathering in new york is being watched by the peace searchers, ALMOST NO CRIME CASE BETWEEN PEOPLE IN PSYTRANCE SCENE EXCEPT OUTSIDER SHALLOW MINDS WHO CAME TO START THE FLAME (not to except rave scene). sorry back to the diversity. people in the same desire of love and open third eye loves to be together from many different background and be strong just like Jehan said. like us here, look at all these flags we use, very proper and useful symbols introduced to be united and new york population support that, not as formality fake mask like they use in topground arena. only in psytrance scene you can see Israeli and Indonesian hugging in pure peace mind and eating from the same plate. where else you can find like this? no where. even want to say hello to each other, the only last people that need to see our peacefull mind is al the rule makers or the power that until now don’t like to see us happy.
Art Gallery
Back to Interviews
Back to Memorial
