George Afedzi Hughes

George Afedzi Hughes, also known as George O. Hughes, is an internationally renowned painter and performance artist. Born and raised in Ghana, Hughes graduated with a BA in Painting and Drawing from the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology in Kumasi, Ghana in 1989. Later in 1992, he completed a MA in Art Education from the Kwame Nkrumah University. In 1994, Hughes relocated to the United States. He received a MFA in Painting from Bowling Green University in 2001. 

Hughes has been featured in over 80 exhibitions, nationally and internationally. He’s been featured in shows in Ghana, Germany, China, Portugal, UAE, Ireland, and many others. He is currently represented in galleries in Germany, Portugal and Ghana. Regionally, he has exhibited Buffalo Arts Studio, the Albright-Knox and other galleries in Western New York. His solo shows Social Predation, Fragments, Collisions [amp.], and The Politics of Identity all took place in Buffalo. 

He has held multiple artist residencies around the world including ones at Haverford College in PA, Queens University in North Ireland and Humboldt University in Germany. 

Hughes’ work consists of paintings as well as a unique performance art style that includes poetry, sound effects, video and multiple allegories. In his artist statement, he says:

“My work uses the history of colonialism as a basis to highlight parallels between colonialism’s brutal history and contemporary global conflicts. In today’s informational age, global occurrences of violence reach us instantaneously: transmitting fear and unease. My work interprets the spectacle of news, history and social engagement by borrowing imagery from global popular culture such as sports and ritual. I revisit the harsh realities of colonialism through humor and metaphor.” [1]

Currently, Hughes is the head of the Painting Department at the University of Buffalo where he is also an Associate Professor. He teaches an array of classes including Painting Processes, Alternative Painting Strategies, and Self and Representation.

[1] "Artist Statement", George O. Hughes,  http://gohughes.com/ (accessed 9/25/2020)