Meet Carl Hopgood | Contemporary Visual Artist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Carl Hopgood and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Carl, what is the most important factor behind your success?
I feel like there are several factors that I would attribute to my success. For me it started with the passion I had as a boy for creating things and the encouragement that my Grandfather showed me.( he was was an engineer – he designed airplane engines)

On a trip to Athens as a school boy, I saw the most beautiful Classical Greek Statues of Antiquity and learning about my Greek heritage turned a light on for me. Being from a farm in rural Wales I saw that there was a big bright world out there and I wanted to share my creations with it! Staying in Wales, as beautiful as it is was not an option. I had bigger plans.

I studied at Goldsmiths College in London where Damien Hirst and many other YBAs had gone before me. Under the guidance of Michael Craig Martin, his belief in me was an important factor to the success of my art career. I graduated with a first class honors degree and I guess I was in the right place at the right time! I was approached by several galleries all wanting to show my work. I sold my degree show to Karsten Schubert Gallery and my career was launched. Since then I am in several private and Public collections including Euginio Lopez owner of The Jumex Museum, Morgan Freeman and Londons Groucho Club.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I work in film, sculpture, neon, installation, sound, photography and Painting. I show my work at The Maddox Gallery who have galleries in London, Switzerland and Los Angeles. I currently have a sculpture on display at the Los Angeles gallery called ‘Chair Therapy ( My Heart Is Open)’. I created the piece during the Covid 19 Pandemic. I would walk past bars and restaurants in my local area and see chairs and stools stacked up in the window. It was like a ghost town. It was devastating seeing the illness, death and economic collapse that the virus left in its wake. I felt hopeless but knew that by continuing to make art and staying safe I would get through this. I am currently working on a Public Art Project called ‘Lost Hollywood’ The Neon Sculpture will literally give voice to the LGBTQ+ visitors and residents of West Hollywood who had experiences here. Recorded soundbites of their stories will be amplified from speakers below the installation. These were the places where we came out, made friends, went on dates, celebrated life and laughed in the face of adversity. Lost Hollywood will be a memorial to the LGBTQ+ community. A clear message about preserving the legacy of these gay institutions and keep their spirit alive for future generations.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Obviously Covid 19 has limited many of the activities that we enjoy and really take for granted. So once this is over, top of my list of fun things to do in LA would be to go to the many Museums and Galleries in Los Angeles. I love visiting LACMA and especially The Lynda and Stewart Resnick Exhibition Pavilion as well as The Hammer Museum and The Broad. I also love LA Louvre gallery in Venice and Regan Projects in LA. I would then go downtown to Hauser and Wirth and The Broad.then a poolside cocktail at Soho House Frieze Art Fair in LA usually previews in February, postponed this year to the summer because of the Pandemic. Boystown in West Hollywood for drinks and dinner and I would also visit My Public Art Neon Sculpture Lost Hollywood which will be on display in September. Next would be a weekend trip to Palm Springs and a tour of The anual Desert X Art Project , Museum of Modern Art and the obligatory ride on the Aerial Tramway

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I think I owe a lot of my success to the artist and curator Nicky Carter. A fellow Goldsmiths College graduate, Nicky is also the Art Director of Londons famous Groucho Club. Over the last 22-plus years of collaborating together, husband and wife art duo Rob and Nick Carter have proved themselves to be an impressive creative force. Their work is collected by everyone from Elton John, the Beckhams and Jude Law. Nicky curated a solo pop up exhibition of my work in one of the bedrooms at the Groucho Club . The show was called Disposable Desire. The Groucho club acquired several pieces from the show which are now on permanent display at their Greek Street location in London. My work is also featured in the book ‘The Groucho Club Our First Thirty Years’ published in 2015 by Penguin.

Website: www.carlhopgood.com

Instagram: @carlhopgood

Linkedin: @carlhopgood

Twitter: @carlhopgood

Facebook: @carlhopgoodstudio