“For me, microbes and the universe share a similarity. Both cannot be seen directly, yet they exist all around us. The unseen does not mean it is not there,” she said.

Although the painting was created for IMD, its meaning extends far beyond the event itself. For Malika, Cosmos Within became a way to understand herself and to rediscover balance between the logic of the laboratory and the intuition of an artist.

From Depok, Where Creativity First Took Root

Born in Jakarta and raised in Depok, Malika, who is often called Mika, grew up in an environment that nurtured creativity. Since childhood, her hands were rarely still, always moving to draw on walls, crochet, or take part in school art exhibitions. “My hands just couldn’t stop moving,” she laughed. The encouragement from her family and school allowed her to channel her creative energy through many different forms of art.

Her curiosity for science, however, came unexpectedly. When the COVID-19 pandemic struck, she witnessed how microscopic organisms could reshape human life entirely. “I realized that something so small could change the entire world. That was when I knew I wanted to understand these invisible beings more deeply,” she said.

She eventually chose Microbiology at ITB as her sole major. Her decision was driven by admiration for SITH ITB’s laboratories, which continued to operate even during the pandemic. “I knew this was where I could learn about life from its smallest yet most meaningful forms,” she said.

Cosmos Within: The Universe on Canvas

In her creative process, Malika does not limit herself to a single artistic style. She describes herself as an appreciator of many forms of art. From the gentle brushstrokes of Claude Monet, the bold lines of Affandi, to the emotional depth of Vincent van Gogh’s works, each has left its own mark on her. Van Gogh’s Starry Night even became one of her inspirations when creating Cosmos Within.

“When I see Starry Night, every stroke feels alive, as if it’s moving. I wanted to capture that same feeling, to make my painting not just something to look at, but something to feel,” she said.

The idea for Cosmos Within emerged from her daily life, balancing laboratory work and artistic exploration. She often felt that the two worlds conflicted, but over time realized that they complemented each other. “Science gives me logic, but art teaches me to be honest with my feelings,” she reflected.

The 2.5-meter painting illustrates the universe and the microbial world as two equally vast and mysterious realities. Malika used paint and thread as her media, symbolizing both structure and freedom. “Crocheting has been my hobby for a long time, so incorporating threads into the painting made it truly a part of myself,” she explained.

Creating the piece was not easy. Malika only began working five days before the submission deadline. In her small dorm room, she had to move all her belongings just to make space for the enormous canvas. Yet the most memorable part was not the physical process, but the emotional journey behind it.

“At first, I wanted to paint a realistic galaxy, but the result looked terrible,” she admitted with a smile. “It was frustrating because realism was something I had never tried before. Then I listened to Cornfield Chase from Interstellar, and suddenly everything felt in harmony,” she recalled. She then let her hands move freely, guided by emotion rather than control. “That was when I realized that creating art is not about perfection, but about finding peace within yourself.”

From the Laboratory to the Exhibition

Although the painting was showcased months ago, Malika’s creative journey has not stopped there. She continues to develop new projects rooted in her two passions: art and microbiology. As the Head of the Creative Division of HIMAMIKRO “Archaea” ITB, she often leads art-science initiatives, including petri dish art workshops and illustrating the children’s science book Pahlawan Tak Kasat Mata (The Invisible Heroes), a collaboration with her colleague Nashita Saaliha (Microbiology, 2021).

According to Malika, science and art have never truly been separate. “Both are born from curiosity. The difference is that science seeks answers, while art seeks meaning,” she said. She believes that combining both allows scientific messages to be delivered in a way that resonates more deeply.

Now, two months after IMD, Malika no longer sees her painting as the end of an event, but the beginning of a longer journey. “No matter how good your work is, if you never show it, the world will never know,” she said. “If you are afraid, do it anyway. Courage is not the absence of fear, but the strength to move forward despite it.”

Reporter & Translator: Dina Avanza Mardiana (Microbiology, 2022)