Christine Macel, chief curator at the Musee National d’Art Moderne at the Centre Pompidou since 2000, organized and produced Sala’s 2012 exhibition at the Pompidou, which ran from May to August.

Macel and Sala have been discussing a possible collaboration between France and Germany at the Biennale with the curator of the German Pavilion and director of Museum für Moderne Kunst Frankfurt, Susanne Gaensheimer. More information will be available in the next couple of weeks

Carl Hopgood has a unique way to project his take of the reality, life experience and his land. A truly British artist, Carl graduated at Goldsmith College few years ago. I met him at Frieze Art fair last October and then saw his Show at Minnie Weisz Gallery in King’s Cross. His re-elaborated beer cans symbolize a very British tradition of partying and drinking, moving away from the sometimes-harsh reality. Parties, sex, booze, voyeurism, has been simply and movingly represented in Carl’s work. In all his small installations, photographs and videos, Carl gives an unconditioned and pure view of his swinging London. His go-go boys movies dancing on beer cans or go-go girls dancing on whiskey bottles are a concentration of dream and reality, desires and wishes. Alcohol is seen as an outside entity part of the London fun. As much as sex and going out with friends. The representation of all these is unsettling and ironic at the same time, but truthful to an imagination we all have about a type of living. Born in Wales Carl Hopgood represents the archetype of any young man who came from the small town to live in seducing big London. His bag is full of hopes and his determination to succeed is strong. Isn’t he representing all of us?

Carl has a multi-disciplinary approach; He works across 16mm film, digital media, sculpture, photography and installation, his objects and ornaments come to life through the medium of film projection. Referencing symbols of popular culture, childhood, and the grit-and-glitz of everyday life these emotive works play with notions of temporality and pleasure.

‘ The film projection is a life support machine for each object I create  – we live our lives through projections. I transform the object into a fluid form of other worldliness, they are like little worlds, each their own narrative‘.( Carl Hopgood 2011)

‘Hopgood’s work depends as much on the awkwardness of his medium as on the novelty of the spectacle’

‘Hyper-real and voyeuristic, these animate mirror-like objects and genies are intended to transport and hypnotize the viewer into reflecting on the nature of desire and aspiration.

Carl Hopgood is a graduate of Goldsmiths College of Art, has shown extensively and internationally. Hopgood’s work is on permanent display at the Groucho Club, London, forming part of their private collection.

Carl Hopgood was born in Cardiff, Wales in 1972. He studied a B.A .at Goldsmiths College from 1991-1993 and a M.A. at St. Martins College from 1996-1997. He has had solo exhibitions at
Karsten Schubert, London and Waddington Galleries, London both in 1994, at Studio d'Arte Contemporanea di Pino Cassagrande, Rome, Italy in 1999, and at the Groucho Club, London in 2003, Minnie Weisz Gallery in 2011.