
Get Up Stand Up (Power Of People / People In Power)
2026
Carl Hopgood's 'Get Up Stand Up (Power Of People / People In Power)' is a striking mixed media sculpture combining glowing blue neon text with a weathered wooden pine and cast metal vintage railway bench. The dual neon phrases 'Power Of People' and 'People In Power' are mounted on the backrest and beneath the bench respectively, creating a visual tension between collective democratic strength and institutional authority. The work draws on themes of collective action, democratic participation, and the ability to withdraw consent, suggesting that organized civic power ultimately surpasses entrenched authority. The aged patina of the bench paired with the vivid contemporary neon light creates a compelling dialogue between historical and present political struggles.
- Medium
- Neon text, wood pine, cast metal railway bench
- Dimensions
Notes
Post dated March 9 on Instagram by @carlhopgood. Liked by @adamsnest and others. 9 comments. Dimensions per artist: 27cm(w) x 184cm(l) x 82cm(h). Artist describes the work as combining neon text with a wooden pine cast metal railway bench exploring collective action, democratic participation, and the ability to withdraw consent.
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Artists in conversation

Peter Doig
Scottish · b. 1959

Both artists employ bold color and expressive figurative painting that blends nostalgia with a raw painterly energy. Doig shares Hopgood's interest in evoking memory and atmosphere through vivid, emotionally charged imagery.

Nigel Cooke
British · b. 1973

Cooke works within a similarly energetic figurative tradition that mixes fine art sensibility with references to popular culture and street art aesthetics. His expressive mark making and character driven imagery closely parallels Hopgood's visual language.

Todd James
American · b. 1969

James bridges street art and fine art through bold graphic figures, vivid color, and a playful yet raw energy that mirrors Hopgood's own blending of outsider and contemporary painting traditions. Both share a pop cultural sensibility filtered through expressive figuration.
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