Meet the Artist Whose Pop Culture Portraits Are Crafted With Playing Cards
His subjects range from the Dark Knight to more literary influences
For U.K.-born, Australia-based artist Elmo Hood, a deck of playing cards is more than just visual inspiration: They're the building blocks of much of his collage practice. He first garnered popularity for this approach in 2013, and he’s continued to build on that idea with recent works infused with pop cultural influences, among others.
In the Q&A below, Hood talks to Power Action! about why super heroes and villains often appear in his work—and why the playing card itself continues to spark new ideas in his practice.
Power Action: Can you tell me about why and how you began using playing cards in your collage work?
Elmo Hood: It all started in 2013. At that time, I was heavily into street art and stencil work. I had been having some drinks and playing cards with friends the evening before at my apartment in south London. I was tidying up the next morning, and I noticed the King and Queen of hearts on the kitchen table next to one another. The idea then just came to me to move the King's hand outside of the border of the card, so it looks like he is handing his heart to the Queen. I used a craft knife I had on hand to make stencils and ended up burning some of the card with a lighter, so it looked like the heart had been burnt out. I posted a photo of it online and it got a really good response, which inspired me to start incorporating playing cards into other pieces of artwork and looking at ways I could use them to tell different stories or simply as an art material.
PA: I imagine the royal figures from these playing cards have a particular resonance and wryness in your native United Kingdom, as opposed to viewers in my native U.S. Do you find that you have vastly different conversations about the kings and queens in your work, depending on the viewer's country of origin?
EH: At times, yes. I sometimes have to explain that although I am from the United Kingdom, the use of kings and queens in my work isn't really meant in reference to the British monarchy. They appear naturally through using playing cards, as they are the main figurative element; however, I like to look at them through more of a poetic lense or reference to the imaginary and fantasy characters that appear in books and films. I also like the more inspirational idea that everyone is a king or queen and capable of greatness in their own right. However, that said, I grew up in a place not far from Winchester, which was the home of King Alfred and has some of the most amazing castles and cathedrals; I would go there on school trips from a young age, so maybe that embedded in my brain somewhere and is why I use those figures so much in my work.
PA: What inspired you to move into the realm of pop culture with the card collages? I'm thinking, in particular, of your Batman piece and also, the painting of the king character as the Joker.
EH: There are a variety of inspirations that I draw from with my art, and pop culture is definitely one of them. I have always been a huge fan of comic book characters, especially Batman and the Joker. I find it sometimes easier to connect with an audience when they recognize the figure or character I am referencing in the art. They know the backstory of who that individual is, so when I am trying to do something unique artistically with the playing cards, then choosing characters that are easy to recognize is a good way to introduce people to my work and artistic practice. I really enjoy connecting with people that haven't taken much interest in art and painting before.
PA: More recently, you've had these playing card characters make the jump into NFTs with the CrownHeadz series. What pushed you to bring them to the NFT space?
EH: So, I had a little success animating my work and selling them as 1/1 NFTs last year; it is a really interesting space, and I have been learning a lot about it in the last 12 months. I thought it would be cool to make a collection of NFTs based around the playing card Kings and Queens characters and looking at gaming utilities that could be built in. The whole project has pushed me way out of my comfort zone, and I have learnt a lot about digital art and drawing, which has been really cool. My project Crownheadz is still very much in its early stages; however, I look forward to seeing where it can go in the future.
Find more work by Hood on his website and Instagram page.