Hana Alfikih, better known as Hana Madness, is a visual artist based in Jakarta, Indonesia.
She spent her childhood in a difficult environment which was not supportive of or conducive to artistic development, and it was during her high school years that she found that art can be cathartic, helping her to maintain sanity amidst a psychological crisis.
2012 saw her first steps in voicing mental health issues in various media in Indonesia based on her life experiences as a mentally disabled person by using art as a means to increase public awareness of mental health issues.
Most of Hana’s artworks represent her mental health conditions, ones which would eventually become her main source of inspiration. She never thought that her art could take her this far, breaking down the stigma and discrimination that she had previously experienced and expanding her practices to an international level.
Her works have led her to being listed as one of the “Top 10 Most Shinning Young Indonesian Artists” in 2017, as “1 of 90 Young Indonesians with Inspiring Works and Thoughts” in 2018, and as a "Millennial Hero for Arts and Culture” in 2019.
Her World Magazine named her in the list of “10 Women of the Year” in 2019. She was also named as “1 of 11 Inspiring Figures” by Tatler Asia.
“I have billions of emotional turmoils that I can never understand up-til now. They have been living and sticking into my self. The artworks that I have made are interpretations of my mental condition and they describe every beautiful conflict inside me that I turn into something beautiful and colorful.” – Hana Madness
Pen Pals
Hana Madness is among the fantastic cohort of international artists selected for our British Council-supported 'Pen Pals' project. Experience both her collaborative and individual contributions to the resulting DaDaFest International 2022 digital showcase here: