Nana Tedja

Nana Tedja is an Indonesian contemporary artist known for her bold, spontaneous neo-expressionist paintings. Raised in a batik-making family, she grew up surrounded by the artistic process, as her father owned a batik company and her mother worked as a designer. From an early age she learned to create handmade batik paintings using a canting, an experience that shaped her artistic sensibility.

Tedja’s works often combine personal experiences with broader social and existential themes. She frequently portrays self-images and female figures, using bodily symbols connected to nature and psychology. Some of her paintings feature figures with exaggerated “large teeth,” a motif inspired by childhood memories that has become a symbol of self-acceptance and inner strength. For Tedja, painting also functions as a form of emotional reflection and personal therapy.