In his latest exhibition ‘The Transported’, George Raftopoulos plays with the notion of the migrant identity, or absence thereof. His paintings are conversations with the past, based around post-war Greek immigration to Australia.
More than a set of Kodachrome memories or a textbook historical event, these works explore a parallel emotional story of the lives involved in both past and present. They reacquaint us with people who should never be forgotten and offer a different perspective on racial identification and prejudices. Through printed smudges, George loosens the identity from individual portraits. While we know that these images are based on Greek immigrants, their immediate identification is lost. Freed of this ethnic bias, we are left with who we are.
Nishi Gallery
13 to 29 May, 2016
Australian Capital Territory
George Raftopoulos, Captain George the Art Crusader, 2016, mixed media on canvas, 183 x 153cm
Courtesy the artist and Nishi Gallery, Australian Capital Territory
