What Installation Artists Need: Nicolas de Oliveira & Nicola Oxley

Get 15% off your .art domain name: https://get.art/?refdotart=art5044n9z17mpromo code: ART5044N9Z17MTry Hostinger: https://hostinger.com?REFERRALCODE=INSTALLATIONARTAn 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 laterNicolas 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 Art01:50 Early Influences and Inspirations06:24 Founding Unit 7 Gallery07:30 The Role of Documentation14:45 Museum of Installation18:30 SE8 Gallery and International Projects20:05 Challenges of Space and Real Estate24:10 Curatorial Practices and Artist Relationships36:09 Writing Process and Collaboration43:02 Funding and Sustainability47:06 Installation Art and the Art Market01:05:08 Supporting Artists Through Time and Commitment01:07:36 Advice for Emerging Installation Practitioners01:17:58 Curating Shows in Different Countries01:24:09 Documenting and Archiving Installations01:43:44 Defining Installation Art and Its FutureSE8 Gallery: https://se8.gallery/ | https://www.instagram.com/nicode.oliveira?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=Installation Art (1996): https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12208566-installation-artInstallation Art in the New Millennium (2003): https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1972215.Installation_Art_in_the_New_MillenniumOur interview with Hans op de Beeck: https://installationartpodcast.com/hans-op-de-beeck-018Bonus episode: What is Installation Art: https://installationartpodcast.com/bonus-025Bonus episode: Why This 2026 Venice Biennale Scandal is Splitting the Art World: https://installationartpodcast.com/bonus-031Also mentioned in this episode:Goldsmith’s University: https://www.gold.ac.uk/ | https://www.instagram.com/goldsmithsuol/ | @GoldsmithsUoLArte Povera: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arte_PoveraYves Klein: https://www.yvesklein.com/en/yves-klein/ |Allan Kaprow: http://www.allankaprow.com/Dan Graham: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dan_GrahamRachel 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.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helen_ChadwickThames &amp; Hudson: https://www.thamesandhudson.com/ | https://www.instagram.com/thamesandhudsonICA London: https://www.ica.art/ https://www.instagram.com/icalondon/Whitechapel Gallery: https://www.whitechapelgallery.org/ | https://www.instagram.com/whitechapelgallery | @whitechapelgalleryCamden Art Centre: https://camdenartcentre.org/ | https://www.instagram.com/camdenartcentre/ | @camden-art-centreMuseum of Installation: https://www.moca.london/moi.html | https://www.tate.org.uk/whats-on/tate-britain/museum-of-installation-archiveNew Museum: https://www.newmuseum.org/ | https://www.instagram.com/newmuseum/ | @newmuseumPhyllida Barlow: https://www.hauserwirth.com/artists/2826-phyllida-barlow/KW Institute for Contemporary Art: https://www.kw-berlin.de/en/ | https://www.instagram.com/kwinstitutefcontemporaryart/Boris Groys: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boris_GroysGoshka Macuga: https://www.moma.org/artists/131293-goshka-macuga | https://www.instagram.com/gonogo.space/?hl=enHans op de Beeck: https://hansopdebeeck.com/ | https://www.instagram.com/hans_op_de_beeck/Dave Hickey: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dave_HickeyStefan Brüggemann: http://www.stefanbruggemann.com/ | <a...