George Afedzi Hughes

George Afedzi Hughes, is a Ghanaian-born American artist specializing in painting, poetry, and performance art.

Early life and education

George Afedzi Hughes was born on 23 December 1962, in Sekondi-Takoradi, Ghana, to George Hughes, a journalist and public relations officer for the Takoradi City Council, and Cecilia Hughes, a petty trader. Hughes went to high school at Ghana National College, then studied painting at The Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, College of Art (1985–1991), earning a BA degree in Painting and Drawing in 1989 and an MA in Art Education in 1992.

Hughes lived in London, England, from 1991 to 1993 and relocated to the United States in 1994, receiving his MFA in Painting from Bowling Green State University in Bowling Green, Ohio, in 2001.

Chroma 29 (2024, dimensions vary, mixed media on wood) from Hughes' series "Puzzle Pieces: Collisions and Chroma"

Work Hughes' paintings and performance artworks have been exhibited internationally across Europe, Africa, Asia, and America. His work references the violence and tragedy of colonialism juxtaposed with contemporary global conflicts.

Common motifs in his paintings include recontextualized language, commonly seen signs and symbols, nods to pop culture, and references to Hughes' cultural background.

Current and ongoing projects include Hughes' series of painted assemblages, "Puzzle Pieces" and his series of video interviews with other artists, "Focus".

He is represented by the Skoto Gallery in New York City, NY, Artco Kunstagentur GmbH, in Herzogenrath, Germany, and Artists Alliance Gallery, in Accra, Ghana.

The Burchfield Penney Art Center, the Royal Ontario Museum, the Harn Museum of Art, the National Museum of Ghana, and Iwalewahaus have collected Hughes' work.

Career

Hughes' first teaching position was teaching English Literature at Sekondi College in Sekondi, Ghana from 1982 to 1984 as part of his national service to Ghana. Afterwards, he taught art at St. John's School, Sekondi from 1984 to 1985. From 1997 to 2000, Hughes taught Drawing as an adjunct instructor at the University of Toledo. Hughes then worked as an Assistant Professor of Painting for the School of Art at the University of Oklahoma in Norman, OK, from 2001 to 2006. He currently resides in Buffalo, NY, where he works for the Art Department at the State University of New York at Buffalo as the Director of Undergraduate Studies, Program Head of Painting, and Associate Professor.

Hughes has been an Artist-in-residence at several schools, art centers, and museums in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and Europe. These include the Örebro Art College at Örebro University in Sweden, the Musée d'art contemporain de Montréal (MACM) in Quebec, and the Queen's University Belfast in Northern Ireland.