Studio portraits of Alvaro Barrington and Dean Cross. Courtesy: the artists and Cement Fondu, Sydney.

Cement Fondu’s 5th annual exhibition pairing of an early-career local artist with a celebrated international artist presents Things that are real: Alvaro Barrington x Dean Cross.

Following a series of breakthrough presentations (2021 Primavera, MCA, 2022 Adelaide Biennale of Australian Art, Goulburn Regional Art Gallery and Carriageworks 2021- 2022), this project will feature a major new commission by regional NSW-based artist Dean Cross. A Worimi man, born and raised on Ngunnawal/Ngambri Country, Cross’s work enacts First Nations sovereignty through expanded contemporary art methodologies.

Cross will present alongside Alvaro Barrington, whose prolific work is also informed by a commitment to personal heritage and community. Barrington was born in Venezuela to Grenadian and Haitian parents, and raised between the Caribbean and New York by a network of relatives. Remarkably, his first solo exhibition was held at MoMA PS1 (NY) in 2017, and recent major exhibitions include an acclaimed solo show at South London Gallery (2021) and Mixing It Up: Painting Today, Hayward Gallery, UK (2021).

Building upon the success of Cement Fondu’s past ‘pairing’ exhibitions, Things that are real: Alvaro Barrington x Dean Cross will be the most ambitious of this series to date, creating an unprecedented level of cultural and artistic exchange. The project facilitates a dynamic and hybrid engagement model, with the artists exchanging works-in-progress and ideas during a remote, development phase and collaborating together in Sydney when we host Barrington for an extended, creative install period. This rich exchange of culture, ideas and methodologies will embrace risk- taking, experimentation and innovation.

Opening Event: Saturday 3 June, 5 – 8pm, including artist talk.