Elmo Hood If You Can't Handle Me At My Worst... For Sale
Elmo Hood
If You Can't Handle Me At My Worst..., 2026
Mixed Media Playing Card on Wooden Backed Canvas | Signed
12 x 16 In
About this work
Elmo Hood has emerged as one of the most compelling voices in contemporary street art, building a devoted collector base through works that balance irreverent humor with sophisticated technical execution. Operating at the intersection of pop culture commentary and fine art practice, Hood has cultivated a market presence that appeals to both established collectors and a new generation drawn to art that speaks with wit and immediacy. If You Can't Handle Me At My Worst... exemplifies Hood's signature approach to cultural critique. The work centers on a playing card rendered in mixed media on wooden backed canvas, transforming a ubiquitous object of chance into a meditation on self-presentation and emotional authenticity. The title itself references a widely circulated phrase from social media culture, repositioning it within the formal language of fine art. Hood's treatment of the playing card motif invites readings around fate, gamesmanship, and the personas we construct for public consumption. The wooden backed canvas provides a substantive ground that elevates the work beyond ephemeral street art origins, asserting its place within gallery and domestic settings alike. At twelve by sixteen inches, the work maintains an intimate scale that rewards close viewing, allowing collectors to appreciate the textural interplay between media. The artist's signature confirms authenticity and establishes clear provenance from the point of creation. Hood's works have demonstrated consistent demand among collectors seeking pieces that bridge accessibility and conceptual depth. Guy Hepner is pleased to offer this work and invites interested parties to inquire regarding acquisition. Our team remains available to provide additional information and facilitate the collecting process.
Price on Application
Edition & Provenance
- Year
- 2026
- Medium
- Mixed Media Playing Card on Wooden Backed Canvas | Signed

More from this series

Elmo Hood
Built For Comebacks
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Elmo Hood
Find Your Line And Fucking Cross It
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Elmo Hood
Fuck Aroundest of Time
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Elmo Hood
I Still Believe In Me
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Elmo Hood
In The War Of Ego The Loser Always Wins
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Elmo Hood
May Flowers Grow In The Saddest Parts Of You
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Elmo Hood
New York Is A Verb
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Elmo Hood
New York Never Folder
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Elmo Hood
New York Never Wanted An Easy Story
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Elmo Hood
New York Punches
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Elmo Hood
People Have Lovely Things To Say About You
2026

Elmo Hood
There Are Two Kinds Of People In This World
2026

Elmo Hood
There Will Be Peace On Earth
2026

Elmo Hood
What Doesn't Kill Me Better Run
2026
About the Playing Cards Series
Elmo Hood's Playing Cards series is where his signature process began, and it remains the most collected body of work in his practice. Each piece starts with a found playing card, its printed color and imagery repurposed rather than covered, then built out with layered mixed media and mounted on wooden backed canvas.
The cards themselves carry the compositions. Kings and queens recur throughout, their existing linework absorbed into new characters and scenes. Hood works dark tones into the shading and outlines of each piece, giving the finished work a graphic, almost stencil-like edge that sits somewhere between pop art and street art.
The titles are part of the work. Lines like In The War Of Ego The Loser Always Wins and What Doesn't Kill Me read like aphorisms, pulling the series toward the same undercurrent of philosophy and self-examination that runs through Hood's practice more broadly. A recurring New York thread, seen in pieces like New York Is A Verb and New York Punches, reflects the city's pull on the artist and its recurring presence across this body of work.
Guy Hepner Gallery presents 15 works from the Playing Cards series, available through private sale. Each piece is signed by the artist. Complimentary valuations and current pricing are available on enquiry.

About Elmo Hood
Elmo Hood is a self-taught contemporary artist working at the intersection of pop art and mixed media. Born in 1989 in Southampton, England, he now lives and works in Brisbane, Australia.
Hood's career began in 2013 with a single collage made from two playing cards. The piece went viral, leading to a string of international exhibitions and a growing collector base that has followed his work ever since. Those early card pieces set the template for what would become his signature process: cutting, burning, and reassembling found materials to build emotionally charged compositions.
Today his work fuses pop art sensibility with layered mixed media technique. Playing cards remain central to his practice, their existing color and imagery repurposed into new palettes, while darker tones anchor the outlines and shading of each piece. Kings and queens recur throughout his output, alongside recurring nods to philosophy, religion, and the paranormal, giving the work a mythic, symbol-driven undercurrent beneath its pop surface.
Hood's work has been featured in British GQ, Forbes, Glamour, Wall Street International, and Made in Shoreditch, among other publications. He has exhibited across London, Paris, New York, Miami, Ibiza, Bahrain, and Munich, with pieces auctioned at the Houses of Parliament. His exhibition history includes solo shows such as Down the Rabbit Hole at Westbank Gallery, London, and House of Cards in Miami, alongside group exhibitions in New York and at the Bahrain Art Fair.