Arista arrived in Hong Kong in 2009 as a domestic worker in search of economic opportunities and a better future. Since then, she has worked in over six households, published numerous essays and books about the situation of domestic workers in the city, and helped other Indonesian domestic workers settle into Hong Kong.

Passionate about storytelling, Arista started writing poetry and short stories after she topped the Festival Sastra Migran Indonesia, a literary competition among Indonesian domestic workers in Hong Kong. She has written a book on the story of migrant workers in Hong Kong, called “Empat Musim Bauhinia Ungu”. Her writings have also been included in Afterwork Readings, a major anthology of literary works created by migrant domestic workers and compiled by Para Site in collaboration with Kunci Cultural Studies Center. She also volunteers with Open Door — a platform aimed at improving the situation of migrant domestic workers in Hong Kong through culture and education, and at  Lensational — a social enterprise aimed at empowering marginalised women through photography. 

With the aim to provide assistance to domestic workers, Arista established a Facebook portal which now has over 16,200 followers. She is also the founder and editor of Migran Pos, an Indonesian-language news website for the Indonesian migrant workers community in Hong Kong and other countries. Arista was invited to be a speaker by “Bildungswerk der Heinrich Böll Stiftung” in Germany, where she talked about issues faced by migrant domestic workers in Hong Kong amid the democracy movement and Covid-19.  She was one of the writers shown in the multimedia exhibition in New York City — “Afterbefore: images and sounds from Hong Kong”.

Locally, Arista has been featured on numerous media outlets such as South China Morning Post, RTHK, Apple Daily, EJ Insight, HK Coconuts, China Daily and more. Having experienced the struggles faced by her community, she wishes to continue working towards achieving economic, social and legal justice for migrant domestic workers in Hong Kong. In her spare time, Arista enjoys going on photo walks, hiking, and spending time in the public libraries on her days off.

In Arista’s Words:

“I write in order to be a voice for those whose voices are not heard. I hope my writing can help my fellow domestic workers be more aware of their rights and what they should do to protect themselves; and I hope it can make other people at least aware of what happens to us and make them care more not because of any obligations, but because we are human too.”