At Hakanto Contemporary, a dynamic non-profit art space in Madagascar’s capital city Antananarivo, even the food served at opening events becomes part of the art experience. The exhibition “Lamba Forever Mandrakizay” featured 21 Malagasy artists exploring the cultural significance of the lamba – a traditional rectangular cloth worn as a shawl or sash during important life events from birth to death. Typically made of silk or cotton, the lamba represents connections between generations and cultures across Madagascar’s diverse regions.

For this exhibition, renowned chef Lalaina Ravelomanana – who runs Antananarivo’s celebrated Marais restaurant and is the first African chef admitted to France’s prestigious Académie Culinaire – created an eight-course menu where each dish was wrapped in colorful fabrics. “When people think of Madagascar, they picture poverty, wildlife, or environmental issues,” explains Hakanto’s executive director Anja Rama, presenting a plate of flower-adorned flatbread. “We’re not ignoring these realities, but adding depth to the story – showing the beautiful, human-made aspects of our culture.”

Madagascar, the world’s fourth largest island located 250 miles off Africa’s southeast coast, boasts incredible biodiversity with nearly 90% of its plant and animal species found nowhere else. However, deforestation and climate change threaten this unique ecosystem. While over half of the island’s 32 million people are under 18 and face economic challenges, Rama emphasizes that Madagascar’s story extends far beyond these statistics.

Artist Joël Andrianomearisoa, Hakanto’s co-founder and artistic director, established the space in 2020. After quickly outgrowing its original location, the gallery moved last September to a spacious warehouse. A trained architect who works across multiple mediums, Andrianomearisoa represented Madagascar at its first Venice Biennale pavilion in 2019. Despite his international work, he remains dedicated to developing Madagascar’s creative infrastructure. “Artists need nurturing like gardens,” he says. “I’m already seeing changes – young people can now show their families that art is a viable career path, with the right support systems in place.”

Andrianomearisoa sees Madagascar’s recent artistic growth – particularly over the past five years – as part of the nation forging its own identity since gaining independence from France in 1960. “While building an art school isn’t currently a government priority,” he notes, “perhaps we don’t need a traditional institution. We’re creating a new kind of artistic education through making, discussing, and responding to the growing local appetite for art.”

Hakanto isn’t the only organization transforming Madagascar’s cultural scene. Across Antananarivo’s rolling cityscape… [text continues]Nestled among red, white, and ochre buildings, the Musée de la Photo—founded in 2018—preserves Madagascar’s photographic heritage by digitizing images from 1860 to 1960, helping locals reconnect with their history. In 2023, Fondation H—an organization focused on Africa and its diasporas—opened its new space in the city’s former post office with a retrospective of the late artist Madame Zo, known for her experimental textiles made from magnetic tape, electronics, medicinal plants, and industrial foam. Meanwhile, photographer Pierrot Men’s waterfront gallery, documenting Malagasy life since the 1970s, remains a beloved fixture.

Vogue visited Antananarivo to meet the artists shaping its vibrant art scene. They shared their creative journeys, their connection to their homeland, and how their work bridges people and nature.

### Jessy Razafimandimby
Born in Antananarivo, 30-year-old multidisciplinary artist Jessy Razafimandimby graduated from Geneva’s prestigious HEAD art school. In 2024, he achieved major milestones, including transforming the Musée d’Art et d’Histoire’s grand rooms with immersive installations featuring dance and instruments made from found objects. In September, he debuted his solo show Corps des Volants à Six Étages at Hakanto. His Paris gallery, Sans Titre, then showcased his work at Art Basel Paris alongside a solo exhibition in the Marais. That same season, he welcomed his first child with partner and fellow artist Emma Bruschi, who designs costumes for his performances.

Vogue: You lived in Antananarivo until age 13 before moving to Switzerland. How did that upbringing shape your creativity?
Jessy Razafimandimby: I’ve lived two very different lives. I grew up in Amparibe, a quiet neighborhood with school and church nearby. We lived in a three-story house with extended family—that closeness defined home for me. Moving to Geneva was a huge shift—we knew no one—but in true Malagasy fashion, the first people we met became like family. To me, home is about the people you choose to share your life with.

Vogue: What themes do you explore in your art?
Jessy: My work blends art and design, especially within a post-colonial context. I move between painting—my primary medium—sculpture, installation, and performance to examine domestic spaces, where intimacy is most fragile and alive. Painting lets me create colors and forms that don’t exist in reality. I frame human and non-human figures within rectangles—like windows into other ways of being—reminding us we’re not alone on this planet.

Vogue: What misconceptions about Madagascar do you encounter abroad?
Jessy: Even as an immigrant in Europe, I sometimes catch myself influenced by biased views shaped by Madagascar’s political and economic struggles. Many see the country as declining, but that narrative must change. Art can shift perceptions, elevate our story, and offer a more human perspective. Malagasy people hold deep values, and art expresses that powerfully—it’s something we must protect, along with the artists who embody it.

Vogue: How does your work address environmental concerns?
Jessy: I use secondhand, recycled, or found materials, which adds meaning naturally. But my bigger dream is to create a kind of social housing—bringing together like-minded people. For me, ensuring others live with dignity is the deepest form of care.Sustainability

Mialy Razafintsalama
Photographer Mialy Razafintsalama started taking photos at age 12 after her mother gave her a camera. While studying tourism in university, she joined a camera club—its youngest member—and began experimenting with different styles. What started as a hobby turned into a career, thanks to commissions and encouragement from fellow Malagasy photographers, including Kevin Ramarohetra. In January 2024, the 29-year-old held her first solo exhibition at Hakanto.

Vogue: Which artists do you admire?
Mialy Razafintsalama: Pierrot Men is a legend here. His photos are captivating and full of stories. Rijasolo also has a unique way of capturing moments.

Vogue: How would you describe your creative process?
Mialy Razafintsalama: I use a Fujifilm X-T30 II with 15–45mm and 56mm lenses to photograph landscapes and everyday life. I want to showcase the cultural richness of Madagascar’s remote areas. My portraits reflect the journey of rebuilding self-esteem—many Malagasy people don’t realize how beautiful our island truly is beyond tourist spots like Mahajanga and Foulpointe.

Vogue: Where do you find inspiration in Antananarivo?
Mialy Razafintsalama: La Teinturerie in Ampasanimao is a hub for artists, and Dune Coffee Shop in Ampandrana is great for meeting creatives. For nightlife, there’s No Comment Bar in Isoraka and Custom Café in Ampasamadinika. IFM in Analakely and AFT in Andavamamba host cultural events. When I need inspiration, I visit Ranomafana or Andasibe National Parks.

Vogue: How does your exhibition Sedran’ny Tany (The Trials of the Earth) address environmental issues?
Mialy Razafintsalama: The show features 13 photos from a nine-day road trip along National Road 7, from Antananarivo to Toliara. It reflects the land’s struggles—how humans have harmed it and now seek sustainable solutions. I want to raise awareness about protecting our land and the impact of everyday actions.

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Sandra Ramiliarisoa
Textile artist Sandra Ramiliarisoa, 24, creates striking weavings from polyfloss—a recycled fiber made by The Polyfloss Factory using a cotton candy-inspired process. She transforms plastic waste into wool-like threads, turning the material into both art and a message. She refined her craft through R’art Plast, a social enterprise founded by six young Malagasy artists from underprivileged neighborhoods, all graduates of Ndao Hanavao, a social design lab.

Vogue: Which artists inspire you?
Sandra Ramiliarisoa: Joël Andrianomearisoa’s fabric work is poetic—I love words. French artist Benjamin Loyauté’s work moves me too; he speaks to humanism and helping through art.

Vogue: What draws you to polyfloss?
Sandra Ramiliarisoa: It’s eco-friendly and innovative—it’s become my signature. I spin, braid, and weave it, showing how waste can become something beautiful. I work mostly in white—it’s neutral and helps you see things clearly. Exploring its texture fascinates me.

Vogue: How do you want people to feel about your work?
Sandra Ramiliarisoa: I want them to see weaving as a signature of Malagasy artistry.I hope people recognize the value of this ancestral craftsmanship and feel curious enough to wonder what materials the piece is made from.

How has Madagascar’s creative scene changed since you joined it?
It’s evolved gradually. When I started, there weren’t many spaces or communities that truly supported young creatives like me. That’s different now.

### Kevin Ramarohetra
Photographer Kevin Ramarohetra, 30, originally trained as an architect before shifting to photography. After attending a workshop with Hakanto Contemporary, he was invited to contribute to their 2023 exhibition Lamba Forever Mandrakizay. Inspired by photographers like Rodney Smith, William Helburn, and Pierrot Men, he often draws inspiration from Antananarivo’s Queen’s Palace.

Vogue: What made you pursue photography?
Kevin Ramarohetra: It might sound contradictory, but I love photography so much that I’ve avoided making it a job. I worry that client demands, deadlines, and productivity pressures would take away the joy it brings me. As the poet Théophile Gautier said, “When something becomes useful, it stops being beautiful.” Like a painter refining a canvas, I spend days perfecting my photos. Artistic freedom matters most to me.

Your photos are vibrant without being oversaturated. How do you achieve that?
I shoot with a Sony A7III and a Sigma Art 35mm lens. Composition is everything—how people, objects, light, and surroundings interact. Color carries emotion. I mostly use natural light (95% of the time, no flash) because it brings images to life. I plan ahead, even checking the weather weeks in advance, and let the space guide me. Most importantly, I aim for harmony between subject and setting, capturing the beauty in simple joys.

How has your creative style developed?
Early on, I experimented with different styles, and as my tastes evolved, so did my work. I moved from just taking pictures to truly feeling them, understanding myself and what I wanted to express. The 2019 lockdown was a turning point—it pushed me to draw from my surroundings, study other photographers, and observe more closely. Creativity comes from constantly questioning and reinventing yourself. I hope my work shows that imagination has no limits, and that ordinary moments can become extraordinary with the right perspective.

Tell us about your work in Lamba Forever Mandrakizay.
I exhibited 12 photographs printed on lamba soga fabric. Instead of focusing on its history or technique, I wanted to show the lamba as an emotional symbol—woven into our culture, present in both joyful and solitary moments, transcending time, death, and even the afterlife. The project expanded my perspective, showing how one theme can hold many meanings through different mediums, and helped me reconnect with my heritage.

Interviews have been edited for clarity. Hakanto Contemporary’s new season, Sentimental, runs until 21 September 2025, featuring solo exhibitions by musician Mirado Ravohitrarivo and artist Mickaël Andrinirina, alongside a group show and new work by photographer and filmmaker Felana Rajaonarivelo.