For artist Ashly Nandong, his artistic pursuit in life reflects his ‘bejalai’ path. He had to overcome numerous challenges and setbacks to get to where he is today. Despite his many achievements, he continues to ‘bejalai’ in an attempt to find himself. Pictured is Ashly at his recent exhibition at the Old Courthouse, Kuching.
‘Bejalai’ to inner peace, finding self
Life’s journey toward peace begins within. It is about being aware of the truth about life, understanding it, and embracing it; only then can one enter into a truce with life. Sharing his artwork that focuses on inner peace, spirituality, and ancient art history, Ashly Nandong immerses himself in the arts on his journey to find himself.
“I see my artwork as a reflection of the path I’ve taken. In the Iban language, I say ‘bejalai’, which means I’m constantly on the move. As an artist, I travel to a lot of different places. It evolves from a physical journey to an inner journey of myself.
“As I progress, I find my inner peace. I wouldn’t say that all of my paintings depict peace. Rather, it is a suggestion for how to achieve peace,” added the 40-year-old.
He said that when he was younger, in his 20s, his inner peace was influenced by his external surroundings and how he went about it.
“However, as I become older, I am searching for bliss internally.”
His young self
Though art now dominates his life, it was once just a hobby for him. Ashly, an engineering graduate, dabbled in music during his university days in 2004.
“I never saw myself doing art. Art was never the focus of my life back then. However, I enjoyed playing the traditional musical instrument sape back then. It was a way for me to explore myself.”
In the 90s, while learning sape under Ukung Mering, Ashly was also exposed to Orang Ulu artists and other sape maestros like Tusau Padan, Ucau Bilong, Matthew Ngau Jau, and others.
“While teaching me how to play the musical instrument, he told me about the legendary sape players of Sarawak. I was interested by it and went on to learn more about them. It was only then that I discovered these musicians were also wood carvers and painters. It amazed me.”
During his adolescence, he experimented with his own variants on the art form.
“Tusau Padan amazed me the most. His artwork inspired me to start painting. The mural paintings and wood carvings in the Old Sarawak Museum, especially the giant Tree of Life painting, also visually inspired me. These artefacts and works of art have imprinted their beauty and appreciation in my formative years as an Orang Ulu art enthusiast.”
It was also during this time that Ashly frequented his teacher’s house to learn sape while also listening to stories from his village. During his university days, his enthusiasm for the musical instrument waned as he became more focused on his engineering studies. Nonetheless, the art of sape never left him, and he reconnected with it in his later years in university in Australia.
“In a foreign land, I began experimenting with different tunes. I thought that because I was in Australia, my options for playing the sape were more open. I learned the basics and began recording with other musicians there.”
Life as a self-taught artist
When Ashly returned from Australia in 2011, a life filled with the arts — traditional music and visuals — began to emerge in his hometown. The Iban-Kayan native returned home determined to make a name for himself in the local art scene.
As a self-taught visual artist, he has took part in various art collectives throughout the years, including Sabah’s Cracko Art Group (CAG), Kuala Lumpur’s Seni Collective, and Malacca’s Team In-Fest. He had also taken part in a number of national and international art exhibitions, including those in France and Indonesia.
Ashly’s art career in West Malaysia has garnered many supporters as he depicts bits of stories he heard back from the Sarawak village. Each masterpiece from the traditional and cultural aspects is part of his ‘bejalai’ process as he learns to discover himself. Despite beginning the journey with sape lessons, Ashly realised that he was gravitating toward the visual arts because of the excitement and motivation he is experiencing at the various galleries.
However, at his peak, the multi-disciplinary artist found his ‘bejalai’ road leading to a cliff — either you go down or you stay stagnant. In 2015, he was balancing gardening and caring for his mental health.
“It was a period of disappointment for me because I did not attain the success I had dreamed for in the art industry. Furthermore, money was running low.”
The challenges
“Looking back, I believe it was necessary for me to endure it as an artist. It was important for me to learn to recover from ‘failures’ and to be resilient in order to persevere in the things that I am passionate about,” said Ashly.
Ashly, a struggling artist in the talent industry, is not alone. He continues to lament the missed opportunities caused by financial difficulties.
“Even if we were doing well in the arts, no one gave us money back then. Everything had to be paid for by us. We were unable to accept opportunities to exhibit abroad. There was no art monetisation. As artists, we simply do what we love.
“In the end, we must deal with such challenges. We do not always receive returns. If you do decide to sell your artwork, I wish you the best of luck. Nonetheless, the exhibitions provided me with valuable exposure,” added Ashly.
Despite this, Ashly had never considered quitting.
“In this field, I find so many opportunities, fulfilment, and people that support me. As I found myself in the process, I believe this ‘bejalai’ journey is part of my pleasure. When I find myself lacking, I turn to simpler things to make me happy.”
The turning point
At the end of 2015, Ashly was offered a scholarship to the Prince’s School of Traditional Art, which was patronised by King Charles III. The university in London became his defining moment in life; the silver lining he never expected to see.
“After a few interviews, I was accepted to the university and enrolled in the Master of Arts degree in Traditional Art. This piqued my interest because I am constantly on the lookout for spirituality in my work,” said Ashly, adding that he also learnt a lot about the history of the arts.
Meeting him at his recent exhibition during the What About Kuching event, Ashly’s artwork is a refreshing perspective on cultural art. He admits that, while he is content as an artist, he is not satisfied. Ashly, who is constantly striving to better himself, said that he wants to progress as a person, an individual, and a human being.
Ashly aims to become better as he continues on his ‘bejalai’ route to bring out the best in his passion for the art. He is currently a part of the Tun Jugah Foundation Weavers collective.
“To accomplish this, I plan to enter academia. Then, eventually, becoming a lecturer and working for an institution. I, too, want to be an art historian! I find the development of art in Malaysia and Sarawak to be fascinating. How primitive we were at first and how sophisticated we have gotten.”
