George Kwesi Afedzi Hughes wurde 1962 in Sekondi in Ghana geboren und studierte an der Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology in Kumasi, Ghana. Nach seinem Bachelor in Malerei und Zeichnen 1989 schloss er 1992 sein M.F.A. in Kunstpädagogik ab. Im Jahr 2001 erhält Hughes einen zweiten Master of Arts von der Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green, Ohio, USA. Seinen dritten M.F.A. in Malerei verdient Hughes 2006 an der University of Arts, Buffalo, New York.
"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 and its current ramifications through humor and metaphor."