30,000 Flowers and Lives Changed – Zadok Ben-David on Installation Art at Scale

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An in-depth conversation with award-winning sculptor and installation artist Zadok Ben-David, whose practice spans delicate miniature work to large-scale public installations. From his early beginnings in Yemen and Israel to representing his country at the Venice Biennale, Zadok shares the philosophical and practical journey behind his internationally acclaimed work. Discover how he transforms metal into poetic metaphors exploring human nature, evolution, and our relationship with the natural world (and how one installation changed a stranger's life forever).

Key insights from this episode:

• The path from abstract expressionism at St Martin's School of Art to creating massive figurative installations

• How 30,000 hand-painted flowers became one of the world's most travelled installations and the team of assistants who helped create them

• Behind the scenes of installing work across five continents, from prisoners in Germany to 70 assistants in Uzbekistan

• The commercial strategy that funds large-scale installations through smaller original works

• Why Zadok turned down a $1 million public art commission to maintain artistic integrity

• The profound moment when his Blackfield installation helped a Holocaust survivor find hope again

Zadok Ben-David is based in London and Portugal. You can find out more about his work on his website https://www.zadokbendavid.com/ and follow him on Instagram @zadokstudio https://www.instagram.com/zadokstudio/

Exhibition “FLOWERS. Art from the Renaissance to Artificial Intelligence” in Rome until 22 February 2026: https://www.chiostrodelbramante.it/post_mostra/flowers-flowers-art/

03:27 Work-Life Balance Insights

06:15 Journey to Art and Family Influence

09:17 Art School Challenges and Triumphs

10:19 Moving to London and Early Struggles

15:15 Discovering Sculpture and Teaching

21:06 First Installations

25:17 Animal Metaphors in Art

34:25 Global Exhibitions and Unique Experiences

38:23 Commercial Aspects of Art

40:33 People I Saw, But Never Met

44:58 Art Installations Around the World

48:58 The Other Side of Midnight

54:44 Challenges in Art Installations

01:04:37 The Healing Power of Art

01:11:40 Upcoming Exhibitions and Contact Information

Also mentioned in this episode:

Anish Kapoor: https://anishkapoor.com/ | https://www.instagram.com/dirty_corner/

Jerusalem Art Academy: https://www.bezalel.ac.il/en | https://www.instagram.com/bezalel_academy | @bezalelacademyofartanddesi1460

University of Reading: https://www.reading.ac.uk/ | https://www.instagram.com/uniofreading/ | @UniofReading

Chelsea College of Arts: https://www.arts.ac.uk/colleges/chelsea-college-of-arts | https://www.instagram.com/unioftheartslondon/ | @UniversityoftheArtsLondon

Central Saint Martins: https://www.arts.ac.uk/colleges/central-saint-martins | https://www.instagram.com/unioftheartslondon/ | @UniversityoftheArtsLondon

Anthony Caro: https://www.anthonycaro.org/ | https://www.instagram.com/anthonycarocentre/

Aesop: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aesop's_Fables

Krylov: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Krylov's_fables

Kröller-Müller Museum: https://krollermuller.nl/en | https://www.instagram.com/krollermullermuseum/

Kunsthal Rotterdam: https://www.kunsthal.nl/en/#tijdlijn-2026-03 | https://www.instagram.com/kunsthal/ | @KunsthalRotterdam

Art Gallery of Uzbekistan: https://uzbekistan1.com/art-gallery-of-uzbekistan/

Neanderthal Museum: https://neanderthal.de/en | https://www.instagram.com/neanderthalmuseum/ |@NeanderthalMuseum

Sculpture by the Sea: https://sculpturebythesea.com/ | https://www.instagram.com/sculpturebythesea | @sculpturebythesea

National Museum of the Republic of Kazakhstan: https://nmrk.kz/en/ | @qazaqstanrespyblkasynynult9862

Annandale Galleries: https://annandalegalleries.com.au/ | https://www.instagram.com/annandalegalleries/

Ploshchad Mira Museum Center: https://mira1.ru/about | @na_mira1

Krasnoyarsk Museum Biennale: https://biennale.ru/

Joseph Beuys: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Beuys

GYRE: https://gyre-omotesando.com/en/ | https://www.instagram.com/gyre_omotesando/ | @gyreTV

Chiostro del Bramante: https://www.chiostrodelbramante.it/post_mostra/flowers-flowers-art/ | https://www.instagram.com/chiostrodelbramante_roma | @chiostrodelbramante

Andreas Gursky: https://www.andreasgursky.com/ | https://www.instagram.com/andreasgursky_official

Ai Weiwei: https://www.aiweiwei.com/ | https://www.instagram.com/aiww/

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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Your host Anastasia Parmson: www.anastasiaparmson.art | https://www.instagram.com/anastasiaparmson.art/

Mentioned in this episode:

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