Show Notes
Get 15% off your .art domain name: https://get.art/?refdotart=art5044n9z17m promo code: ART5044N9Z17M Try Hostinger: https://hostinger.com?REFERRALCODE=INSTALLATIONART An extraordinary conversation with Nicolas de Oliveira and Nicola Oxley, the writer-curator duo who literally wrote the books on installation art and founded the Museum of Installation in London. For nearly 40 years, they've been chroniclers, producers, curators, and advocates for a medium that barely had a name when they first started. From publishing the definitive Installation Art books (1994, 2003) and commissioning hundreds of new works to building an extensive archive – Nicolas and Nicola have been at the coalface of installation art's evolution. In this wide-ranging discussion, they share what it was like convincing galleries that installation art even existed, why good documentation became their mission, and how they've sustained independent curatorial practice for four decades on "absolute shoestring budgets." Key insights from this episode: • How installation art emerged and why galleries insisted it was "just sculpture" • Coining the term "immersive" in their 2003 book (before it became ubiquitous) • Their philosophy of curating as co-production • The economics of independent spaces: how friendships sustain what funding cannot • Why they turned down a massive London space and turned to making books • The difference between installation art and the "entertainment industry" of immersive experiences • Advice for emerging artists: practice comes first, outcomes come later
Nicolas de Oliveira and Nicola Oxley are based in London and run SE8 Gallery in Deptford. Their books Installation Art (1994) and Installation Art in the New Millennium (2003) remain foundational texts in the field. They publish artist books under their imprint Mulberry Tree Press and continue to curate exhibitions internationally while maintaining one of the most extensive archives of installation art documentation in the world. 00:26 Discovering Installation Art 01:50 Early Influences and Inspirations 06:24 Founding Unit 7 Gallery 07:30 The Role of Documentation 14:45 Museum of Installation 18:30 SE8 Gallery and International Projects 20:05 Challenges of Space and Real Estate 24:10 Curatorial Practices and Artist Relationships 36:09 Writing Process and Collaboration 43:02 Funding and Sustainability 47:06 Installation Art and the Art Market 01:05:08 Supporting Artists Through Time and Commitment 01:07:36 Advice for Emerging Installation Practitioners 01:17:58 Curating Shows in Different Countries 01:24:09 Documenting and Archiving Installations 01:43:44 Defining Installation Art and Its Future
SE8 Gallery: https://se8.gallery/ | https://www.instagram.com/nicode.oliveira?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y= Installation Art (1996): https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12208566-installation-art Installation Art in the New Millennium (2003): https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1972215.Installation_Art_in_the_New_Millennium Our interview with Hans op de Beeck: https://installationartpodcast.com/hans-op-de-beeck-018 Bonus episode: What is Installation Art: https://installationartpodcast.com/bonus-025 Bonus episode: Why This 2026 Venice Biennale Scandal is Splitting the Art World: https://installationartpodcast.com/bonus-031
Also mentioned in this episode: Goldsmith’s University: https://www.gold.ac.uk/ | https://www.instagram.com/goldsmithsuol/ | @GoldsmithsUoL Arte Povera: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arte_Povera Yves Klein: https://www.yvesklein.com/en/yves-klein/ | Allan Kaprow: http://www.allankaprow.com/ Dan Graham: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dan_Graham Rachel Whiteread: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rachel_Whiteread | https://www.instagram.com/rachelwhitereadofficial/ Bruce Nauman: https://www.moma.org/artists/4243-bruce-nauman | https://www.instagram.com/brucenaumanart/ Edward Woodman: https://jhg.art/events/space-light-and-time-edward-woodman-a-retrospective/ Helen Chadwick: https://en.wikipedi
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Samuelle Green grew up in rural Pennsylvania in a family of makers and studied art at Tyler School of Art in Philadelphia and Parsons in New York. After nearly 20 years in NYC working across galleries, museums, fabrication and film sets, she made a pivotal decision: leave the city to have the space to finally build the work she had always wanted to make. That work is large scale immersive installations built from rolled cones of reclaimed books and found paper. Exhibited across the US as well as in China, Italy, France and Estonia. Green’s work has also appeared on HBO and AMC+ and won the Arte Laguna Prize in Venice. What we cover: • The decision to leave New York City after nearly 20 years to reclaim her studio practice • What it takes to create immersive installations out of paper and what happens when huge panels of work go missing two weeks before a show • The accidental acoustic discovery: paper installations as anechoic chambers, concert venues and restaurant sound dampeners • Creating art for TV and film sets and what artists should know before saying yes • Reflective outdoor sculptures activated only by car headlights and flash photography and pivoting your medium after finding success
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I made a 3-minute listener survey to help shape the podcast's future. Your feedback genuinely matters. Fill out here: https://forms.gle/qqHJrMXpsC9UYu2m7 Leave a voice message: https://www.speakpipe.com/installationartpodcast