Dead Fish, Shredded Cars and Wax: Inside the World of Petah Coyne

Episode 32 features an unforgettable conversation with acclaimed New York-based sculptor and installation artist Petah Coyne. Known for her intricate, large-scale works crafted from an extraordinary range of materials – from dead fish and shredded trailers to wax, taxidermy, and black sand. Coyne’s career spans decades and her works are in major museum collections, including MoMA, the Whitney, the Met, and the Guggenheim.

In this candid, in-depth interview, she shares not only her creative evolution and technical processes but also the personal stories, risks, and moments of doubt behind her monumental career.

Key takeaways from this interview include:

• The wild true story of how 5,000 dead fish played a role in launching her art career.

• How Petah developed her own patented wax formula and the extreme logistics behind shipping large-scale works across the world.

• A behind-the-scenes account of her first major institutional installation and the unexpected accident that helped get it reviewed by The New York Times.

• Her perspective on rejection, persistence, and why she applied for grants every year for a decade before getting one.

• Thoughtful reflections on time, mortality, and the pressure artists feel to keep creating.

From poetic anecdotes to hard-earned wisdom, this episode offers a rare glimpse into the mind of a successful and deeply generous artist whose work, like great literature, lingers long after the first encounter.

03:52 The Dead Fish Prank

07:36 Early Life and Artistic Beginnings

14:40 How To Avoid School

16:00 Moving to New York

22:22 First Big Break and Installation Art

41:34 The Importance of Archival Quality

46:22 Finding and Working with Assistants

48:53 Fragility and Tactility of Artworks

51:09 The Stolen Sculpture Incident

54:36 Selling Large Sculptures to Collectors

01:07:04 Navigating the Art World

01:09:52 The Importance of Feedback

01:24:56 Funding Art Projects

01:31:01 Experimenting with New Mediums

01:37:43 Final Thoughts and Advice To Artists

Petah Coyne is based in New York and is represented by Galerie Lelong & Co., New York: https://galerielelong.com/artists/11-petah-coyne/

and Nunu Fine Art, Taiwan: https://www.nunufineart.com/petah-coyne

You can find out more about her work on her website: https://www.petahcoyne.org/

And follow her on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/petahcoyne

Also mentioned in this episode:

The Jealous Curator: https://thejealouscurator.substack.com/about | https://www.instagram.com/thejealouscurator/

Art For Your Ear Podcast, interview with Petah Coyne: https://www.thejealouscurator.com/blog/2020/11/20/just-be-wonderful/

Herron School of Art and Design: https://herron.indianapolis.iu.edu/

Art Academy of Cincinnati: https://www.artacademy.edu/ | https://www.instagram.com/artacademyofcincinnati/ | @artacademycincinnati

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

Jody Pinto: https://www.jodypinto.com/

Alice Acock: https://www.aaycock.com/

Donna Dennis: https://www.donnadennisart.com/ | https://www.instagram.com/donnadennisstudio/

Judy Pfaff: https://www.judypfaffstudio.com/ | https://www.instagram.com/judy.pfaff/

Holly Solomon: https://www.bonhams.com/stories/39878/works-from-the-collection-of-holly-solomon/

Sculpture Center: https://www.sculpture-center.org/ | https://www.instagram.com/sculpturecenter/#

Marian Griffiths: https://www.artforum.com/news/marian-griffiths-1922-2008-189230/

Leo Castelli: https://www.castelligallery.com/about/leo-castelli | https://www.instagram.com/castelligallery

Adam Gopnick: https://www.adamgopnik.com/bio | https://x.com/adamgopnik

Chazen Museum of Art: https://chazen.wisc.edu/

Eva Hesse: https://www.theartstory.org/artist/hesse-eva/

Sol LeWitt: https://www.theartstory.org/artist/lewitt-sol/

Mary Sabbatino: https://www.cpal-info.com/mary-sabbatino | https://www.instagram.com/mary_sabbatino/

Gallery Lelong: https://galerielelong.com/ | https://www.instagram.com/galerielelong

Guerilla Girls: https://www.guerrillagirls.com/ | https://www.instagram.com/guerrillagirls/ | @GUERRILLAGIRLS

Iréne Hultman: https://tdps.yale.edu/profile/irene-hultman-monti | https://www.instagram.com/irenehultmanmonti/

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.

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