Geoge Afedzi Hughes’s exhibition Identity, Power, and Reconciliation explores shared narratives that cut across racial differences and highlight the connection of contemporary global conflicts to colonial history. Using humor and metaphor, Identity, Power, and Reconciliation juxtaposes personal narratives, historical tropes, and pop culture references in ways that address the complex and nuanced issue of racial reconciliation.  

Hughes’s exhibit is part of Buffalo Arts Studio’s 2023/23 National Endowment for the Arts project Displacement: Reclaiming Place, Space, and Memory, which includes new work that fosters critical dialogue on transnationalism, intersectionality, and representational justice through panel discussions, exhibitions, and student instruction. 

George Afedzi Hughes was born and raised in Ghana and is currently an Associate Professor of Painting at SUNY Buffalo. A serious accident in 2017 left Hughes largely paralyzed from the neck down. After years of intense physical therapy, Hughes has regained limited use of his arms and legs; however, he requires skilled assistants in order to paint and teach.