George Raftopoulos

George Raftopolous was born in Australia in 1972. Inspired by his upbringing as the son of Greek migrants in rural New South Wales, his paintings incorporate references to his worldly experiences as he navigates his cultural identity.

This odyssey began when the artist left school and returned to his family’s roots in Greece in an attempt to find out more about his heritage, both personal and cultural. This quest eventually brought him back to Australia, where he began studying art in Sydney.

Raftopoulos’ art blends reality with fantasy; his works are a collage of his thoughts, dreams and ideas, integrating fables of modern life and psycho-drama. While outwardly heroic and romantic, his paintings contain a sense of the subversive, with acerbic social commentary. Self-examination sits alongside reinvention in an attempt to purge the angst surrounding the construction of identity.

A combination of bold brush strokes and meticulous mark-making brings a sense of ambiguity to his work. And there is also humour, which Raftopoulos attributes to his upbringing. Hellenic by nature and Antipodean by nurture, this is the DNA of an artist who has learnt not to take himself too seriously.

George Raftopolous’ work is held in numerous public and private collections around the world.