Meet: Carl Hopgood

Carl Hopgood graduated with an MA in Fine Art from Saint Martins (now Central Saint Martins, CSM). At the time, the College was based in Charing Cross, and it was the ‘grit and glitz’ of  Soho that inspired his move into neon, which now makes up a large part of his creative output.

He moved to the Hollywood Hills in Los Angeles in 2015, and he continues to be inspired by his surroundings. One of his most recent pieces, Chair Therapy: My Heart Is Open, was made during the pandemic, after seeing so many chairs and stools piled up in closed bars and restaurants.

With work currently on display in the Maddox Gallery LA and an upcoming solo exhibition at the start of next year, we caught up with Carl to find out more about how his time at CSM has impacted his work.

Why did you choose to study at CSM? What was it about the College that attracted you?

I chose to study at Saint Martins MA Fine Art under the guidance of the late artist and Professor Joanna Greenhill who was a big supporter of my work at that time. The post-grad course had access to the film and video department that was then located in Covent Garden so I spent a lot of my time there, it was a great place to have a free studio in Central London with all the galleries and museums on my doorstep.

My studio was on the old Charing Cross Road site which was very cool as it was also where the fashion department was so there was always a great buzz of creativity. I'd done my BA Fine Art course at Goldsmiths in New Cross, South London so it was exciting to be continuing my studies in the grit and glitz of London's Soho. This proved to be a big inspiration to me. While I worked in film and video I also began to work in sound and neon, inspired by the nightclubs and bars of Soho.

I became a member of the Groucho club which was around the corner thanks to the artist Nicky Carter who is head of their vast art collection. They gave me membership in return for donating a piece of my work to their collection. It was a great way to meet gallery owners and other artists like Sarah Lucas and Damien Hirst who were always there. I staged a solo pop-up exhibition of my work at the same time as my graduation show in one of the bedrooms at the Groucho Club. The show was called Disposable Desire. My work is actually featured in the book The Groucho Club - Our First Thirty Years published in 2015 by Penguin.

What have you been up to since graduating?

Since graduating I have exhibited all over the world in galleries and museums. My art has been auctioned to raise funds for several charities including the MTV Staying Alive Foundation at The Museum of Modern Art in Dallas and Sothebys for The Terrance Higgins Trust in London.

My artwork is in several public and private collections including The Groucho Club, The Jumex Museum, The Vinik Family Foundation and Morgan Freeman.

You’re currently based in LA. Can you tell us more about the art scene there?

Los Angeles is a very special place. I live in the Hollywood Hills with my partner and two dogs. I moved here in 2015 the same time that my gallery opened in LA after being in London for 20 years. The Art scene is continually growing, there are 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, The Broad and The Getty Museum. I also love the LA Louvre gallery in Venice and Regan Projects in LA. Frieze Art Fair in LA usually previews in February for the third year,   postponed this year to February 2022 because of the pandemic. Palm Springs is also a wonderful place to see art and architecture. The annual Desert X  Art Project, Museum of Modern Art and the obligatory ride on the Aerial Tramway.