Playing Cards
22 works
Elmo Hood Evolve or Die For Sale
Elmo Hood
Evolve or Die, 2026
Mixed Media Playing Card on Wooden Backed Canvas | Signed
12 x 16 In
About this work
Elmo Hood has established a distinctive position within the contemporary art market through works that fuse street art sensibilities with sharp cultural commentary. Operating at the intersection of urban aesthetics and fine art, the artist has cultivated a following among collectors drawn to pieces that challenge conventional boundaries while maintaining strong visual impact. Evolve or Die presents a striking meditation on adaptation and survival in the modern age. The work centers on a playing card motif, a recurring symbol in Hood's practice that speaks to chance, fate, and the games we play within societal structures. The mixed media approach layers texture and meaning, with the wooden backed canvas providing a grounded materiality that contrasts with the ephemeral nature of the card itself. Hood's characteristic palette and compositional choices create immediate visual tension, drawing the viewer into a dialogue between permanence and impermanence. The title functions as both warning and manifesto, encapsulating the urgent pressure of contemporary existence where stagnation equates to obsolescence. The artist's signature confirms authenticity and marks this as a verified work from Hood's 2026 output, a period that has seen increasing institutional and collector interest in the artist's developing practice. The intimate scale of twelve by sixteen inches invites close examination, rewarding sustained attention with details that reveal themselves progressively. Works by Elmo Hood continue to attract discerning collectors seeking pieces that balance conceptual depth with accessible visual appeal. Guy Hepner is pleased to offer this compelling example and welcomes inquiries from those interested in adding this work to their collection.
$5,160
Edition & Provenance
- Year
- 2026
- Medium
- Mixed Media Playing Card on Wooden Backed Canvas | Signed
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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.