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Sukaenah

Sukaenah was born on July 4 1978. As a child, she loved to climb a big tree in her garden and jump off to the roof. Her favorite place was nicely shaded, and it soon became her personal hideout where she would read or study, while munching on her favorite crackers.

During her high school years, Sukaenah was very active in different school organizations as well as sporting events, for she was a long-distance runner. She also joined the Paskibra, a group responsible for hanging the national flag on Indonesia's Day of Independence.

Unable to fulfill her lifelong ambition of studying at a government university, she decided to take a four-year course at a local tourism school. She majored in hotel management, and during her second year of studies she was selected to become a trainee in Singapore.

Sukaenah graduated in 2000 and took a job at an important hotel. "Here I first came into contact with traditional bronze artwork," she says. "I fell in love with it. In my eyes, these sculptures looked different, antique, and charismatic." Sukaenah searched for information on bronze sculpting, which made her appreciate this art form even more.

Encouraged by her brother-in-law, Sukaenah decided to work with bronze. Together, they began to create a variety of products, but their favorites are all those characters with a strong historical and religious background, such as Shiva, Krishna, and Buddha. "Working on these kinds of products has challenged me to learn more about the historical and cultural background of each one, which I see as an added bonus," she confides.