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The Installation Art Podcast

The Installation Art Podcast

By: Anastasia Parmson
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Summary

 A new resource for all things installation art is here! Join host Anastasia Parmson – an artist herself — as she uncovers stories, challenges, and lessons from behind the scenes. The show brings you in-depth conversations with internationally renowned artists and arts professionals who have exhibited installation art on the global stage. In each episode, you will hear about the creative process and the personal journeys of these exceptional artists. We will gain insights into the unique joys and challenges; as well as the logistical and financial aspects of working with installation art. Join us every fortnight as we shine a light on this underserved field, helping artists feel less alone in their studios and providing a platform for community building and knowledge sharing. Subscribe to The Installation Art Podcast on your favourite podcast app and follow us on Instagram @installationartpodcast to stay updated and connect with fellow enthusiasts. Website: https://installationartpodcast.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/installationartpodcast Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/installationartsociety/Copyright 2026 Anastasia Parmson Art Career Success Economics
Episodes
  • Bonus: Biennale of Sydney 2026 – What Worked, What Didn't & Why It Matters

    Bonus: Biennale of Sydney 2026 – What Worked, What Didn't & Why It Matters
    May 12 2026
    I made a 3-minute listener survey to help shape the podcast's future. Your feedback genuinely matters.Fill out here: https://forms.gle/qqHJrMXpsC9UYu2m7Leave a voice message: https://www.speakpipe.com/installationartpodcastA candid review of the 25th Biennale of Sydney, spanning five venues across Greater Sydney: from a regional gallery that got everything right to an old Power Station full of missed opportunities.I spent 10 hours at the media preview visiting all five venues: Lewers Penrith Regional Gallery, Chau Chak Wing Museum, Campbelltown Arts Centre, Art Gallery of New South Wales and White Bay Power Station. This isn't a comprehensive report, it’s my personal takeaway on what works (and what fails) when it comes to installation art at an international exhibition.The 25th Biennale of Sydney, titled Rememory and curated by Hoor Al-Qasimi, demonstrates something that's come up again and again on this podcast: you can have prestigious artists, important topics and historic venues, but if the lighting is wrong, if there's nowhere to sit, if the space outshines the art… it doesn't work.What I cover:• Why Lewers: Penrith Regional Gallery was the standout venue• Some highlighted works from each venue• The 11-minute sound installation no one experiences beyond 15 seconds – and other accessibility challenges• Documentation vs art – where is the line?• A moment of comparison: do island Biennales create better experiences?00:32 Biennale of Sydney Facts02:57 Penrith Gallery Highlight05:32 Everyone’s Favorite Installation08:06 Chau Chak Wing Museum10:31 Campbelltown Art Centre - Documentary Debate13:21 Art Gallery of NSW Picks17:12 White Bay Venue Challenges22:26 Video Overload Critique26:32 Installation Missteps32:48 Final TakeawaysBiennale of Sydney 2026: Rememory is on view until 14 June 2026, free entryMore info: https://www.biennaleofsydney.art/Review by art critic Christopher Allen: https://www.theaustralian.com.au/culture/worse-than-anticipated-how-the-sydney-biennale-became-a-site-of-mediocrity-and-irrelevance/news-story/efd37fe54c91806748fd89fda76f65f6Also mentioned in this episode:Biennale of Sydney: https://www.biennaleofsydney.art/ | https://www.instagram.com/biennalesydney/ | @biennaleofsydneyVenice Biennale episode: https://installationartpodcast.com/bonus-013Helsinki Biennial episode: https://installationartpodcast.com/bonus-039Lewers: Pentrith Regional Art Gallery: https://www.penrithregionalgallery.com.au/ | https://www.instagram.com/penrithregionalgallery/Nora Adwan: https://noraadwan.com/home.html | https://www.instagram.com/adwan.nora/Chau Chak Wing Museum: https://www.sydney.edu.au/museum/ | https://www.instagram.com/ccwm_sydney/Michael Dagostino: https://www.sydney.edu.au/museum/about-us/our-people.htmlEma Shin: https://emashin.org/home.html | https://www.instagram.com/ema.shin/Tuan Andrew Nguyen: https://www.tuanandrewnguyen.com/ | https://www.instagram.com/tuan.andrew.nguyen/Cambelltown Arts Centre: https://www.campbelltownartscentre.com.au/Home | https://www.instagram.com/campbelltownartscentre/ | @campbelltownartscentre8258Hoor Al-Qasimi: https://www.biennaleofsydney.art/hoor-al-qasimi/ | https://www.instagram.com/hooralq/Joana Hadjithomas & Khalil Joreige: https://hadjithomasjoreige.com/ | https://www.instagram.com/studiohadjithomasjoreige/Art Gallery of NSW: https://www.artgallery.nsw.gov.au/Kuba Dorabialski: https://www.kubadorabialski.com/ | https://www.instagram.com/kubadora/Mia Wasikowska: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1985859/ | https://www.instagram.com/mia_wasikowska_/Taysir Batniji: https://www.taysirbatniji.com/ | https://www.instagram.com/taysir_batniji/Kapwani Kiwanga: https://www.kapwanikiwanga.org/Ron Mueck: https://ropac.net/artists/63-ron-mueck/ | https://www.instagram.com/ronmueckart/Mike Hewson: https://mikehewson.co.nz/ | https://www.instagram.com/mikehewson/MCA: https://www.mca.com.au/ | https://www.instagram.com/mca_australia | @mcaaustraliaWhite Bay Power Station: https://www.whitebaypowerstation.com/ | https://www.instagram.com/whitebaypowerstation/Christopher Allen: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christopher_Allen_(critic)Cockatoo Island: https://www.cockatooisland.gov.au/en/ | https://www.instagram.com/harbourtrust/ | @HarbourTrust2088Frank Sweeney: https://franksweeney.art/ | https://www.instagram.com/frankbeee/Hui Ye: https://yehui.org/ | https://www.instagram.com/huiyeist/The Installation Art Podcast is a show about people who love and work with the contemporary art medium of installation. The host...
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    38 mins
  • Art as Playgrounds: Mike Hewson on Infrastructure, Risk & Responsibility

    Art as Playgrounds: Mike Hewson on Infrastructure, Risk & Responsibility
    Apr 21 2026

    Listener feedback form: https://forms.gle/T6ywdFawXWKLu1UR6

    Leave a voice message: https://www.speakpipe.com/installationartpodcast

    A conversation with New Zealand artist Mike Hewson, recorded inside his monumental installation The Key's Under the Mat at the Art Gallery of New South Wales – a 2,500 square meter underground park complete with working sauna, laundromat, barbecues, DJ booth, recording studio and playground that's broken every visitor record the gallery has ever seen.

    Mike's practice straddles the complex lines between art, infrastructure and public liability. He designs playgrounds that councils don't know how to regulate, builds permanent public sculptures that must survive Australian weather conditions and human interference and he takes on legal exposure that would terrify most artists, all while fighting the perception that making functional, interactive work is somehow "beneath" serious art.

    Key insights from this episode:

    • The Christchurch earthquake moment: barefoot in a broken city, wondering whether he should keep pursuing art

    • Project backlash: dealing with public anger, going into debt on his first major commission and lessons learned

    • Strategic pivot: setting a new precedent as an artist-engineer

    • True scope of the AGNSW project and how he sourced materials for it

    • Hard truth and advice: burnout is not a sustainable business model

    Mike Hewson is a New Zealand artist based in Sydney. You can find out more about his work on his website https://mikehewson.co.nz/ and follow him on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mikehewson

    See his work in person:

    The Key's Under the Mat at AGNSW Tank (open until August 2026) https://mikehewson.co.nz/2025/10/the-keys-under-the-mat

    Coal Loader Palm Grove is a permanent public installation at Sydney Fish Markets: https://mikehewson.co.nz/2026/1/coal-loader-palm-grove

    Rocks on Wheels public art playground in Soutbank, Naarm (Melbourne): https://mikehewson.co.nz/2022/11/rocks-on-wheels

    Pockets Park in Pioneers Memorial Park, Leichhardt NSW: https://mikehewson.co.nz/2022/2/pockets-park

    St Peters Fences at Simpson Park, St Peters NSW: https://mikehewson.co.nz/2020/9/st-peters-fences

    Illawarra Placed Landscape at Crown Street Mall, Wollongong NSW: https://mikehewson.co.nz/2017/11/illawarra-placed-landscape

    02:55 Work Life Balance Reality

    05:35 Growing Up in Rural NZ

    08:02 From Painting to Installations

    19:40 Building Playgrounds as Art

    27:37 Precarious Look Safe Design

    32:32 Sourcing Found Materials

    40:33 Maintenance and Record Crowds

    45:41 Afterlife and Financial Reality

    58:51 Geopets Art Fair Hack

    01:07:17 Contracts, Insurance and Codes

    01:20:51 Hard Truths And Advice

    01:25:51 After The Mammoth Show

    Also mentioned in this episode:

    Christchurch earthquake: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2011_Christchurch_earthquake

    JR: https://www.jr-art.net/ | https://www.instagram.com/jr/

    Columbia University: https://www.columbia.edu/ | https://www.instagram.com/columbia/ | @columbia

    Sarah Sze: https://www.sarahsze.com/ | https://www.instagram.com/sarahszestudio

    Lloyd’s: https://www.lloyds.com/australia | https://www.instagram.com/lloydsoflondon/ | @Lloydsinsurance

    Infrastructure NSW: https://www.infrastructure.nsw.gov.au/ |

    Gumtree: https://www.gumtree.com.au/ | https://www.instagram.com/gumtreeaus | @gumtreeaustralia

    Lett Thomas Gallery: https://lett-thomas.com/ | https://www.instagram.com/michaellett | https://www.instagram.com/lettthomasgallery

    Rirkrit Tiravanija: https://www.davidzwirner.com/artists/rirkrit-tiravanija | https://www.instagram.com/rirkrit_team

    Sydney Fish Market: https://www.sydneyfishmarket.com.au/

    Images courtesy of the artist and Art Gallery of NSW

    The Installation Art Podcast is a show about people who love and work with the contemporary art medium of installation. The host Anastasia Parmson, an artist herself, interviews internationally renowned artists and arts workers about the intricacies and behind-the-scenes stories of creating and showing work that is site-specific, ephemeral, large scale or immersive.

    🔔 Hit subscribe or follow wherever you’re listening to never miss a new episode.

    📢 Follow us on social media:

    Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/installationartpodcast/

    Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@installationartpodcast

    📚 More information about the show and previous episodes: www.installationartpodcast.com

    Your host Anastasia Parmson: www.anastasiaparmson.art https://www.instagram.com/anastasiaparmson.art/
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    1 hr and 34 mins
  • Under the Pavement: Tanja Smeets on Materials, Collaboration & Growth

    Under the Pavement: Tanja Smeets on Materials, Collaboration & Growth
    Apr 7 2026
    I made a 3-minute listener survey to help shape the podcast's future. What's working? What's not? Who should I interview next? Your feedback genuinely matters. Fill out here: https://forms.gle/qqHJrMXpsC9UYu2m7Get 15% off your .art domain name: https://get.art/?refdotart=art5044n9z17mpromo code: ART5044N9Z17MA conversation with Dutch artist Tanja Smeets, whose site-specific installations employ diverse and industrial materials (concrete spacers, leaf catchers, textiles, ceramics and 3D-printed steel) to create large scale works that appear to grow organically from architecture and cityscapes.Guided by her catchphrase “Under the pavement the roots are whirling,” Tanja's practice reveals what it takes to work at the intersection of art, craft, technology and collaboration.Key insights from this episode:• Why art school felt like failure• Finding and transforming unusual materials• Residencies at TextielLab and European Ceramic Work Center: pushing porcelain through frying sieves, learning embroidery and more• The volcano eruption: teaching an assistant to knot lentils into lycra via Zoom when flights were grounded• Miami airport interrogation: five suitcases, a letter and threatening border patrol agents with a lecture on artTanja Smeets is a Dutch artist based in Utrecht. Her work has been exhibited internationally including Manifesta and Museum Boijmans van Beuningen. See her work in person atWesterpark, Amsterdam (permanent public sculpture) and Centraal Museum, Utrecht (permanent installation in historic staircase).03:24 Favorite Quote – Under the Pavement the Roots Are Whirling09:35 The Iceland Trip That Changed Everything15:49 From Painting to Installation – When Everything Clicked20:10 A Government Building Commission – Dripping Through Multiple Floors22:50 How the Opportunities Started Coming29:24 TextielLab – Combining Felt with Leaf Catchers33:09 European Ceramic Work Center Residency47:47 When the White Cube Doesn’t Work48:52 Manifesta Barcelona – Installing on 5th-Century Graves51:17 Building Solo vs Working with Teams56:33 The Commercial Question – “I’m Always Disappearing into Big Installations”01:02:10 Miami Airport – Five Suitcases and the Threat of a Lecture01:06:56 MX3D Collaboration – 3D-Printed Stainless Steel01:11:43 Finding Technical Collaborators and Pushing Boundaries01:17:09 Dream Project01:20:00 Advice for Emerging ArtistsOpening of solo exhibition and launch of new publication and film about Tanja’s work: 11 April 2026 at the Utrecht in Leeuwarden.The book can be ordered via studiotanjasmeets@gmail.comYou can find out more about her work at https://www.tanjasmeets.nl/ and follow her on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/studiotanjasmeets/Also mentioned in this episode:Dyckman Farmhouse Museum: https://dyckmanfarmhouse.org/ | https://www.instagram.com/dyckmanfarmhouse | @dyckmanfarmhousemuseum8502Museum Boijmans van Beuningen: https://www.boijmans.nl/en | https://www.instagram.com/boijmans/TextielMuseum: https://textielmuseum.nl/en | https://www.instagram.com/textielmuseum/TextielLab: https://textiellab.nl/enEuropean Ceramic Work Centre: https://ekwc.nl/en/ | https://www.instagram.com/ekwc_oisterwijk/ @sundaymorningekwc6951David Lynch: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_LynchEraserhead: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0074486/Blue Velvet: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0090756/Kunsthal KAdE: https://www.kunsthalkade.nl/en/ | https://www.instagram.com/kunsthal_kade_amersfoort | https://www.youtube.com/user/KUNSTHALKADEManifesta: https://manifesta.org/ | https://www.instagram.com/manifestabiennial/ | @Manifesta_foundationMondriaan Fund: https://www.mondriaanfonds.nl/en/homepage-2/ | https://www.instagram.com/mondriaanfonds/Museum of Arts And Design: https://madmuseum.org/ | https://www.instagram.com/madmuseum | @madmuseumMuseum Vizcaya: https://vizcaya.org/ | https://www.instagram.com/vizcaya_museum/ | @VizcayaMuseumWesterpark: https://www.iamsterdam.com/en/explore/neighbourhoods/westerpark | https://www.instagram.com/iamsterdamMX3D: https://mx3d.com/ | https://www.instagram.com/mx3d.metal.printing/ | @officialMX3DCentraal Museum Utrecht: https://www.centraalmuseum.nl/en | https://www.instagram.com/centraalmuseumThe Installation Art Podcast is a show about people who love and work with the contemporary art medium of installation. The host Anastasia Parmson, an artist herself, interviews internationally renowned artists and arts workers about the intricacies and behind-the-scenes stories of creating and showing work that is site-specific, ephemeral, large scale or immersive.🔔 Hit subscribe or follow wherever you’re listening to never miss a new episode.📢 Follow us on social media:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/installationartpodcast/Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@installationartpodcast📚 More information about the show and previous episodes: www.installationartpodcast.comYour host Anastasia Parmson: www.anastasiaparmson.art ...
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    1 hr and 29 mins
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