(JP/Triwik Kurniasari)

Her critically acclaimed performance in Garin Nugroho’s Opera Java (Requiem From Java) in 2006 received a warm international welcome as she won awards like Best Actress at the Brussels International Independent Film Festival and the Festival of the Three Continents, marking her strong start in the Indonesia’s film scene.

Adapted from the famous epic tale Ramayana, the independent film integrates musical elements and Javanese wayang shadow puppet theater as well as a combination of music, dance, drama, installation art and fashion.

The film centers on the love triangle and resulting conflict among its three leading characters, Siti (played by Artika), Setio (Martinus Miroto) and Ludiro (prominent choreographer and dancer Eko Supriyanto).

Opera Java, shot to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the birth of German composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, has been screened in a number of international film festivals and has won awards for best leading actress and best music composer for Rahayu Supanggah at the Nantes International Film Festival, best music composition at the Hong Kong International Film Festival and best Asian film at the Singapore International Film Festival.

Artika’s name, however, seemed to fade from the entertainment industry after she married former lead vocalist of pop band ADA Band, Ibrahim Imran, widely known as Baim, in 2008 and gave birth to a baby girl, Sarah Ebiela Ibrahim, a year later.

She decided to dedicate her time to her daughter, leaving the bright lights of showbiz for a while, opting instead to join a number of social activities and campaigns as part of her new role as a mother.

It turns out that she cannot stay away from the entertainment business, as she recently gave a nod to an offer to star in a short film, helmed by noted producer, writer and director Nia Dinata and written by Nia, Melissa Karim and Sally Anom Sari.

The film, produced by Nia’s very own production house, Kalyana Shira Film, and sponsored by a fabric softener for which Artika became the ambassador, is an online interactive drama series titled The Scent of Passion.

In this short film, she stars as a wife-cum-fashion designer, who catches her husband getting cozy with his former girlfriend. Playing as her co-star is newcomer Edward Gunawan of Nia Dinata’s Arisan! 2. Artika’s husband, Baim, also took part in the project by writing the film’s original soundtrack.

The miniseries was posted online through Facebook and viewers had the chance to decide how the story ends.

“I wanted to part of this project because I missed acting so much,” Artika said.

“And when I found out that Nia Dinata would direct this short film, I quickly said yes. I had been dreaming of working with her for so long.”

Artika found being part of the project was challenging since the film had two different angles.

“The fun thing was it the audience chose what the finale would be, so we had to shoot the film in two viewpoints with two possible endings,” she said.

Playing in a film after taking a break also posed a challenge for Artika, but also offered some fun opportunities. “It’s like being put into the playground. I met new acquaintances and had a good time with them making this project,” she went on.

Born in Bangka Belitung province on Nov. 29, 1979, Artika first entered the spotlight when she was crowned as Puteri Indonesia, an annual beauty contest held by businesswoman Mooryati Soedibyo’s Puteri Indonesia Foundation, in 2004.

Amid controversy in her home country, she participated in the international Miss Universe beauty pageant the following year in Bangkok, Thailand, where she broke into the top 15, the highest accomplishment so far ever achieved by an Indonesian participant.

The achievement led her into the entertainment industry as offers for work as a model and brand ambassador as well as an actress followed her pageant success. Among her films are Opera Jawa, Fajar Nugroho’s indie Mati Bujang Tengah Malam, rom-com Planet Mars, Eros Djarot’s Lastri, and rom-com Roman Picisan (Cheap romance).

While waiting for more fascinating roles to come, Artika is currently busy paving her way into the fashion industry through her very own kids’ clothing line Sugar Bebe Indonesia, established in 2011 with a friend to create clothing for girls aged 2 to 10.

Why a kids’ clothing line? “It’s merely because I have a kid. And this is actually a skill that was passed down from my mother. My mom likes sewing and I am also learning how to sew,” Artika said, adding that so far, she has helped to develop the brand via the Internet.

For the fashion label, she designs, searches for fabrics and supervises the production process, from start to finish.

Artika hopes that the fashion label will cut the country’s dependency on foreign fashion brands and suppliers, showing that local products are better than imported ones.

“To be honest, it is difficult for us to compete with Chinese products, which are much cheaper,” she says.

“We’ve been collaborating with local suppliers and encouraging them so that we can compete with foreign producers.”

Artika shared her excitement in designing and creating children’s items. “It is so much fun dressing the girls up without making them look like grown-ups,” she said, pointing out that some classic designs are inspired by Hollywood actress Audrey Heburn.

“Today’s kids are getting smarter than they used to be and they can say ‘no’ if they don’t feel comfy wearing something,” she explained.

She has also learned that as a parent, she should not force her daughter to wear particular outfits because it’s not about what the parents’ want.

“The key is that we give kids advice on wearing outfits based on the occasion.”

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