Born 1960 in Purworejo, Hanafi has since held over 24 solo exhibitions and over 35 group exhibitions in Jakarta, Spain, Canada and Singapore. In 1997, His work was highlighted as the top ten best at the Philip Morris Art Awards. Hanafi often collaborates with national and international choereographs on multimedia projects, and also with poets and architects to define new boundaries of art.

Hanafi's paintings generally feature two kinds of rhythm. There is a slow rhythm, seen in a long slash pulled to the outer side of the plane of painting, or the long slash going from the outside to the center of the plane. Another rhythm is more rapid, seen in the focal point of the plane in the form of a sharp incision. It is also in the painting's focus of attention that images often appear, constructed with through slash and incisions. In his retelling of his creative process, Hanafi reveals that he always begins by provoking the empty canvass without any specific idea or thought. He repeatedly creats such provocation until a problem emerges on his canvas. (Supangkat & Arief Ash Siddiq, 2006)