About
Al Hopwood is an award-winning artist, writer and curator. Over a 25-year career he has made moving image, digital, performance and exhibition projects with international galleries and museums including Tate Britain, Hayward Gallery, ICA London, Wellcome Collection, CCCB (Barcelona), Espacio Fundación Telefónica Madrid, Science Gallery Bengaluru, V&A, Talbot Rice Gallery, Freud Museum London and Mona (Tasmania).
In 2013 he was the first visual artist to be awarded a prestigious Wellcome Trust Engagement Fellowship and in 2019 he co-curated the critically acclaimed Smoke and Mirrors: The Psychology of Magic at Wellcome Collection attracting over 175,000 visitors. He’s worked under several different guises including as the WITH Art Collective - an idiosyncratic, playful project based at withyou.co.uk that has been described by critics as “the most original artist project in Britain today” and by Time Out London as being like “the brainchild of self-confessed business artist Andy Warhol”. Hopwood’s False Memory Archive has toured internationally since 2013 and he is currently developing a TV script with renowned director Chloe Thomas.
Hopwood’s work has attracted extensive coverage and critical praise from across a wide range of media platforms including Frieze Magazine, Art Review, Art Forum, Art Monthly, MetaMute, Photomonitor, Dazed, Time Out London, Guardian, Observer, The Times, The Independent, Wall Street Journal, The Wire India, Mirror, New Scientist, BBC Radio 4, BBC 6 Music, BBC World Service, BBC Global News and ABC Australia. His work is in private collections in the UK, USA and Europe and he was recently awarded an unconditional Visual Arts PhD by Publication, from the University of Westminster.
CV - Selected highlights
2022 / 23
Awarded AKO Storytelling Institute Fellowship from University of the Arts, London. Starting September 2023.
Artist Residency at Wellcome Centre for Ethics and Humanities at University of Oxford, launching The Museum of Revelatory Fakes (MoRF) with Professor Patricia Kingori.
Collaboration with psychologist Steven Frenda: Commission for exhibition Psyche at Science Gallery Bengaluru, India.
Exhibiting artist in Brain(s) at CCCB (Barcelona) and Espacio Fundación Telefónica (Madrid) between July 2022 - July 2023
Do They Owe us a Living? Group exhibition at The Royal Standard Liverpool. Curated by Simon Willems
Developing script for 3 part TV series called The Makeover with director Chloe Thomas
2020 / 2021
WITH TV launched and first 5 commissions completed
The Wrong Project: Preface - Remote residency at Kings College London on The Healthy Scepticism Project
2019
Ethics of Deception Six part essay series for Wellcome Collection
Smoke and Mirrors: The Psychology of Magic Curated project with Honor Beddard at Wellcome Collection
Gorillas In Our Midst WITH solo commission for Mona, Hobart, Tasmania
Redesign Your Life. Script for feature length film written during Wellcome Trust Engagement Fellowship.
Pre-2019 Solo Exhibitions and Projects
2016-2018
False Memory Archive, Galerie Schunck, Herleen, Holland
False Memories with Evelien van den Broek, November Music Festival, Holland
False Memory Archive Anthology Publication
2013-2014
False Memory Archive, Freud Museum London
False Memory Archive, Carroll/Fletcher Project Space, London
False Memory Archive, Talbot Rice Gallery, Edinburgh
False Memory Archive, Newlyn Art Gallery and The Exchange
False Memory Archive: Hot Air, Warwick Arts Centre / Mead Gallery
2010-2012
WITH: Withstore_02, Multiplied Art Fair, Christies, London
WITH: Resident, Chapter, Cardiff
WITH: Withstore_01, Rokeby, London
2007-2009
WITH: And, Artprojx Space, London
WITH: Withyou.co.uk, Rokeby, London
WITH: Disafreement, Crawford Collectors Group Commission
WITH: Powerm, Manifesto Commission, Art Review Magazine
WITH: Recruit, Hayward Gallery, London (performance)
WITH: Violentome, Plymouth Arts Centre
WITH Adverts, for Resonance FM, Frieze Art Fair, London
WITH Outreach, British Council, New Delhi, India
2004-2006
WITH TV, ICA, London (performance)
WITH Water, ICA, London (performance)
WITH: Traumaformer, ICA, London (performance)
WITH: Me At Work Now, Bethnal Green Working Men’s Club, London (Cabaret)
WITH: Knowidea, Bethnal Green Working Men’s Club, London (Cabaret)
WITH Re:launch, ICA, London (Performance)
Club WITH, Beaconsfield Contemporary Art (Cabaret)
WITH 015, Liverpool Biennial (Independents), Liverpool (Commission)
WITH: Chase Me, SOMA Magazine, New York
Pre 2019 Selected Group Exhibitions and Projects
2016-2018
Exceptions of Rule: Counterpoints to Truth, ADM Gallery, Singapore
Lost Memory, French Cultural Centre, Boston, USA
States Of Mind: Edges of Consciousness, Wellcome Collection, London
The Multiple Store, London Art Fair, London
2010-2012
Hypothetical Talks curated by Barry Sykes, Website and various venues
Game On, Westwerk, Hamburg
Curators Egg, Anthony Reynolds Gallery, London
Personal Use, Cafe Gallery Projects, London
2007-2009
Mother Nature, K3, Zurich
The Earth Not a Globe I, Rokeby, London
Syndicate, Rokeby, London
Terminal, Tate Britain, London
Exchange, The Arts Gallery, London
Fashion vs. Sport, Victoria & Albert Museum, London
Fusion Now! Rokeby, London
2003-2005
Chronicepoch, Beaconsfield Gallery Vauxhall, London
The Mythological Machine, Mead Gallery, Warwick Arts Centre
Inspector London/Berlin, Media Arts Festival, Bangkok
Art of Survival, Czech Centre, London
Art of Survival, Prague Biennial, Veletrzniho Palac, Prague
Education
2020-2023 PhD by Publication. Misinformation as Material: Towards the use of cognitive psychology as a research tool for artists
(passed with no corrections). Supervisor: Professor Neal White. CREAM, University of Westminster.
1999-2000 MA Fine Art Curatorship, Goldsmiths, University of London
1995-1998 BA Fine Art, Sheffield Hallam University
1994-1995 BTEC Foundation Art and Design, Thurrock Technical College
Awards and Grants
2022 TORCH Knowledge Exchange Fellowship, Oxford University
2021 Enriching Engagement Grant, Oxford University
2020 Covid emergency funding, Arts Council England
2014 Wellcome Trust Engagement Fellowship
2016 Climart Commission shortlisted artist, NTNU Trondheim, Norway
2013 Arts Council England, Grants for the Arts, National touring grant
2013 Wellcome Trust Grant Award for False Memory Archive national tour
2011 Wellcome Trust Grant Award for False Memory Archive R&D
2009 Method - Artists as Leaders Scheme, British Council (In-kind support)
2006 Arts Council England, Project Grant for WITH Events 2006
2005 Arts Council England, Professional Development Grant Award
2002 Investment Scheme for WITH Project
1999 AHRB, Study award for Masters
Selected Conferences / Talks
2022 Misinformation as Material, Sotheby’s Institute London
2022 Introducing MoRF: University of Oxford
2015-2017
Secrets of the Soul: Dialogues on Mind, Art and Psychoanalysis, University College London
False Memory Archive, The Fascinating Phenomenon of False Memory, Goldsmiths, University of London.
Cinema and Memory, Centre for the Study of Cultural Memory, Senate House Library, University of London
False Memory Archive lecture, European Skeptics Congress, Goldsmiths, University of London
2013-2014
False Memory Archive public lecture, City Lit University
The Construction of Memory. Freud Museum. Conference about the FMA with speakers Prof. Martin Conway, Prof. Dany Nobus, Dr. Sharon Kivland and Prof. Christopher French.
False Memory Archive lecture, Greenwich Skeptics in the Pub
False Memory Archive in conversation. Talbot Rice Gallery
False Memory Archive Conference. The Exchange Penzance. With Prof. Christopher French, Dr. David Barrett and Dr. Kimberley Wade
False Memory Archive, Fortean Society invited speaker series
False Memory Archive, Hot Air. Mead Gallery with Dr. Kimberley Wade.
False Memory Archive at Edinburgh Science Festival with Prof. Sergio Della Sala, Prof. Richard Wiseman, Dr. Caroline Watt and Prof. Christopher French (conference)
2011-2012
Investing In Artists, Bloomsbury Art Fair, ArtInsight
(False) Memories Are Made Of This, APRU Invited Speaker Series, Goldsmiths
(False) Memories Are Made Of This, Chapter, Cardiff (with Prof. Christopher French)
Insider Advice, Artsmart Weekend, Chelsea College Of Art, ArtInsight
Always On, Transmission Series, Sheffield Hallam University
2005-2009
Always On, Artist Talk Series, ICA London
Always On, Rokeby Gallery, London
This Is WITH, Space Gallery, London (As part of ‘Corporate Personae’ series)
This Is WITH, Royal Society of Arts, London
Curatorial Activity
2019 Smoke and Mirrors: The Psychology of Magic curated in collaboration with Honor Beddard from Wellcome Collection.
2000-2003
Administrator / Curatorial Assistant, Beaconsfield Gallery Vauxhall, London. Exhibitions included:
Drawing Space - Sheila Gowda, NS Harsha and Nasreem Mohamedi
Fragmens sur les Institutions Republicaines IV - Shane Cullen
Afterlife - Heather Ackroyd and Dan Harvey
Club - Wilken Schade, Eva Stenram and Simon Wood
Shozo Shimamoto - new commission with Gutai artist
The Agreement - Shane Cullen (touring exhibition)
Voices From the Id - John Isaacs
2 Sculptures - Markus Copper
We’re Spending 4 Weeks At Beaconsfield, So Lets Hope Everything Goes OK (Part 4), Noble And Silver. Residency and Exhibition, curated with Paula Orrell and Beaconsfield.
1996-1999
Brainstorm, Goldsmiths, University of London.
Elastic Frontiers Art Festival, Sheffield.
Bibliography / Writing
2019
Online Series: The Ethics of Deception Wellcome Collection
Scientific Paper: Nonbelieved Memories in The False Memory Archive Journal of Applied Research in Memory and Cognition. Henry Otgaar, Charlotte Bucken, Mark Howe, Kim Wade and A.R. Hopwood.
Book: Spectacle of Illusion by Matt Tompkins. Thames and Hudson.
Exhibition Catalogue: Gorillas in our Midst, Published by Mona.
2016 -2018
Book: The Memory Illusion by Julia Shaw. Published by Penguin Random House. Extracts from the False Memory Archive featured throughout this best seller.
Book: False Memory Archive Anthology: Volume 1. WITH Publishing.
Anthology publication and collection of essays reflecting on the touring exhibition False Memory Archive.
Book: States of Mind, Introduction by Mark Haddon. Published by Profile. False Memory Archive included.
Book: Diving for Seahorses, Hilde Østby and Ylva Østby, Published by New South. False Memory Archive featured throughout.
2007-2011
Contributor to Art Review Magazine as a reviewer of books and exhibitions. Articles included:
Piccadilly Community Centre, Christoph Buchel
Street Art, Cedar Lewisohn
The World As A Stage, Tate Modern
The Ten Cent Plague, David Hadju
Iron Fists, Branding The 20th Century Totalitarian State, Steven Heller
Kalanag, Jonathan Allen, David Risley Gallery
No More Mr. Nice Guy, Bedwyr Williams, Store Gallery
Institute Of Psychoplasmics, Pumphouse Gallery
Peter McDonald, Kate MacGarry
Neil Boorman, Bonfire Of The Brands
2002-2003
Arts Editor of Sleazenation Magazine. Articles included:
A Certain Resonance, Resonance FM
A Final Hit, Guy Bourdin
Art For Tourists, Saatchi Gallery
Beggars Belief, An Art Student Guide
Insider Feeling, Art Rumour
Mutiny In Prague, Artist View of a Biennale
Frieze Frame, Frieze Art Fair
City Not So Slickers, City Racing
Runners and Riders, Turner Prize, Tate Britain