Installation

Installation

Installation art revolves around crafting an aesthetic or sensory experience within a specific setting, often encouraging active participation.

Installation artworks, sometimes referred to as 'environments,' frequently encompass an entire room or gallery space, necessitating the spectator to traverse it for full engagement with the artwork. Nonetheless, some installations are intended for contemplative perusal or are delicate to the extent that they can only be observed from a doorway or one end of a room.

What distinguishes installation art from sculpture or other conventional art forms is its emphasis on delivering a cohesive, unified encounter, as opposed to presenting isolated, individual artworks.

50 results found for "Installation"

video

Mickalene Thomas

American artist Mickalene Thomas set out to change the face of art history back in the early 2000s – and that’s exactly what she’s done. We take a look at Mickalene’s humble beginnings and her artistic legacy as the contemporary art powerhouse she is today.

Mickalene Thomas
video

Judy Chicago

Judy Chicago is a legendary feminist artist who has irrevocably changed the face of art history. Inspired by her landmark retrospective, Revelations, at the Serpentine in London, we dive into her empowering and inspirational story.

Judy Chicago
video

Anish Kapoor

Turner-Prize winning artist Anish Kapoor has been making waves for over fifty years. Like a skilled illusionist, his works distort reality and challenge the senses.

Anish Kapoor
article

Ai Weiwei – Under surveillance

To understand the origins of a quasi-camera by Ai Weiwei, we trace the history of surveillance in his life and work.

Ai Weiwei – Under surveillance
article

Ai Weiwei – Everyone is a dragon

It's the year of the dragon. Dragons wield godlike power in myths and folklore, but Ai Weiwei insists that everyone is a dragon. Here's why.

Ai Weiwei – Everyone is a dragon
video

JR

French artist JR takes public art to the next level. For nearly two decades, he’s made huge black-and-white photo installations in collaboration with local communities across the world. In this Artist’s Artist, we take a look at the backstory.

JR
video

Cecily Brown

Discover how British artist Cecily Brown made her mark as a painter despite spending her formative years on the installation-obsessed ‘90s British art scene.

Cecily Brown
article

Grant Yun – Growing Up

American-Korean artist Grant Yun arrives in Seoul with his first solo show. The series is minimal, intricate and personal, inspired by his identity.

Grant Yun – Growing Up
article

Ai Weiwei: Decoded

A guide to the symbols at play in a divine self portrait by Ai Weiwei.

Ai Weiwei: Decoded
essay

Barbie Pink

Barbie is everywhere, but what's pink got to do with it?

Barbie Pink
video

Cai Guo-Qiang – Explosive serenity

Explosive serenity is the paradox at play in Snow Lotus, a new collaboration with Cai Guo-Qiang. Hear his reflections on reflections, and discover the printmaking processes involved in transforming one of his gunpowder paintings into a limited edition print.

Cai Guo-Qiang – Explosive serenity
article

Norman Rosenthal on Anish Kapoor

Norman Rosenthal, guiding force behind the artist's first silkscreen print, reflects on his relationship with artworks by Anish Kapoor – shiny, dirty and sublime – since they first crossed paths in 1978.

Norman Rosenthal on Anish Kapoor
guide

What is an edition?

At Avant Arte, limited edition artworks are our bread and butter. As with many good things, they come wrapped in jargon. Read on for a quick fix summary of everything you need to know to start collecting.

What is an edition?
essay

Yayoi Kusama Louis Vuitton: When Will The Dots Stop?

Bags, billboards and Bella Hadid. The commodification of Yayoi Kusama.

Yayoi Kusama Louis Vuitton: When Will The Dots Stop?
video

JR: Miniature Giants

Installations by JR are some of the most viewed artworks in the world. Ahead of our first collaboration, we visited the legendary photographer in Paris to talk about scale, scaffolding, the ever-growing ambition of his public projects and why he wants to stay naïve forever.

JR: Miniature Giants
article

Sensory Inspiration

The origin story for a new collaboration with New York legend José Parlá got us thinking about some of the unexpected places where artists find their art.

Sensory Inspiration
article

Butt plugs, Santa Claus & Paul McCarthy

"A joke, but serious."

Butt plugs, Santa Claus & Paul McCarthy
video

Cai Guo-Qiang

What do you know about the art of blowing things up? Chinese artist Cai Guo-Qiang has been doing it for fifty years…

Cai Guo-Qiang
video

Tschabalala Self in London

We all do it, but what does it mean to sit?

Tschabalala Self in London
article

Nigel Howlett: The Face Before You Were Born

A solo show debut in London marked a tangible moment of inflection for Nigel Howlett and his faceless figures. In parallel, we collaborated to archive works from the show with a series of limited edition books and hand-finished prints.

Nigel Howlett: The Face Before You Were Born
article

Paul Insect: Personal Effects

Paul Insect arrives in Amsterdam.

Paul Insect: Personal Effects
article

José Parlá: The Founders

Read a text written by José Parlá to accompany the timed release of our our latest collaboration, The Founders.

José Parlá: The Founders
Artist

Barry McGee

Barry McGee (he/him) was born in 1966 in San Francisco, USA. He continues to live and work in the Bay Area.

Barry McGee
Artist

Shigeki Matsuyama

Shigeki Matsuyama (he/him) was born in 1973 in Japan. He currently lives and works in Kanagawa, Japan.

Shigeki Matsuyama
Artist

Pablo Tomek

Pablo Tomek (he/him) was born in Paris, 1988. He continues to live and work in the city.

Pablo Tomek
Artist

Chen Wei Ting

Chen Wei Ting (he/him) was born in 1991 in Tainan, Taiwan. He is based in Tokyo, Japan where he lives and works.

Chen Wei Ting
Artist

Prune Nourry

Prune Nourry (she/her) was born in 1985 in Paris. She lives and works between Paris and New York.

Prune Nourry
Artist

Paul McCarthy

Paul McCarthy (he/him) was born in 1945 in Utah, USA. He now lives and works in Los Angeles.

Paul McCarthy
Artist

Larry Bell

Larry Bell (he/him) was born in 1939 in Chicago, Illinois. He is based in Taos, New Mexico where he currently works. He also has a studio on Venice Beach, California.

Larry Bell
Artist

Tom Sachs

Tom Sachs (he/him) was born 1966 in New York, United States, where he continues to live and work.

Tom Sachs
Artist

JR

JR (he/him) was born in 1983 in Paris, France. Paris is still his base, but he travels around the world collaborating with different communities and institutions to create his art.

JR
Artist

Richard Woods

Richard Woods (he/him) was born in 1966 in Chester, England. He now lives and works in London.

Richard Woods
Artist

Marguerite Humeau

Marguerite Humeau (she/her) was born in Cholet, France in 1986 and currently lives and works in London, UK.

Marguerite Humeau
Artist

Yuichi Hirako

Yuichi Hirako (he/him) was born in 1982 in Okayama, Japan. He now lives and works in Tokyo.

Yuichi Hirako
Artist

Ix Shells

Itzel Yard, aka Ix Shells, (she/her) was born in 1990 in Panama, where she continues to live and work.

Ix Shells
Artist

Nathalie Djurberg & Hans Berg

Nathalie Djuerberg was born in 1978 in Lysekil, Sweden, and Hans Berg was born the same year in Rättvik, Sweden. The pair have practiced as a duo since 2004.

Nathalie Djurberg & Hans Berg
Artist

Zhang Ruyi

Zhang Ruyi was born in 1985 in Shanghai, China, where she continues to live and work.

Zhang Ruyi
Artist

Hank Willis Thomas

Hank Willis Thomas is a conceptual artist born in 1976 in Plainfield, New Jersey. He now lives and works in Brooklyn, New York.

Hank Willis Thomas
Artist

Zhang Huan

Zhang Huan was born in 1965 in Anyang, China, and is now based in Shanghai.

Zhang Huan
Artist

Hassan Hajjaj

Hassan Hajjaj was born in 1961 in Larache, Morocco, and now lives and works in London, UK.

Hassan Hajjaj
Artist

DRIFT

Lonneke Gordijn (b. 1980, Alkmaar, Netherlands) and Ralph Nauta (b. 1978, Swindon, UK) met while studying at Design School Eindhoven and founded studio DRIFT in 2006. Their multidisciplinary, Amsterdam-based team now has more than 60 members.

DRIFT
Artist

Hebru Brantley

Hebru Brantley was born in 1981 in Chicago, Illinois. He now lives and works in Los Angeles, CA.

Hebru Brantley
Artist

Claudia Comte

Swiss artist Claudia Comte was born in 1983 in Lausanne, and has since relocated to the outskirts of Basel.

Claudia Comte
Artist

Friedrich Kunath

Friedrich Kunath was born in 1974 in Chemnitz, Germany and now lives in Los Angeles, US - a seismic cultural shift explored throughout his practice.

Friedrich Kunath
Artist

Jen Stark

Jen Stark was born in 1983 in Miami, Florida and now practices in Los Angeles, California.

Jen Stark
Print

La Nascita, Milano Centrale, Italie, 2024

JR adorns Stazione Milano Centrale with a rugged facade linked to its past.With a surreal trompe l'oeil, La Nascita connects the architectural grandeur of the train station with its history. In 1906, the construction of the Milano Centrale was initiated after many tons of rock were excavated from the alps to build the Simplon Tunnel connecting Italy and Switzerland. JR’s dramatic portrayal of the hollowed mountain brings this history to life. By veiling the Roman, Art Nouveau, and Art Deco architecture of the station with his own image, the artist blurs time and place. Positioned at a site of arrival and departure, his intervention invites travellers to reflect on the human urge to explore the natural world, and construct their own.

JR archived the installation as a photograph shot across multiple moments in the day – available to all for 48 hours only as a signed, limited edition print.

 La Nascita, Milano Centrale, Italie, 2024
Artist

Stickymonger

Joohee Park, aka Stickymonger, (she/her) was born in South Korea and is now based in Brooklyn, New York.

Stickymonger
Artist

Katrin Fridriks

Katrin Fridriks was born in 1974 in Reykjavik, Iceland, and currently lives between Luxembourg and Paris.

Katrin Fridriks
Artist

Lu Yang

Lu Yang was born in 1984 in Shanghai, China, where they continue to live and work.

Lu Yang
Artist

Donna Huanca

Donna Huanca was born in 1980 in Chicago, USA, and now lives and works in Berlin, Germany.

Donna Huanca

Other words in the glossary


painted bronze carrot reclining seductively on a white marble countertop

Start your collection with an edition

Framing guide

Do you need framing advice?

Building your collection? We can help.


Your questions, answered

Parra's studio, with Parra at the centre, his back to the camera as he works on the large painting takes centre stage, showing a faceless blue woman in a striped dress, painted in red, purple, blue and teal. The studio is full of brightly coloured paints, with a large window on the right and a patterned rug across the floor under the painting.