ARTIST TALK // David Cross

Hear from CONFLATED artist David Cross

David Cross is an artist, curator and writer. His practice extends across performance, installation, sculpture, public art and video. Known for his examination of risk, pleasure and participation, Cross often utilises inflatable structures to negotiate inter-personal exchange. He has performed at numerous international live art festivals, and has developed multiple large-scale public art commissions. As a curator and public art facilitator, Cross has worked with a broad range of artists and writes regularly on contemporary art for international publications. With Alison Currie he was a finalist in the 2020 Keir Choreographic Award for the work De-Limit. Cross is currently Professor of Visual Arts at Deakin University.

CONFLATED

When we inhale and exhale, our bodies transform through the process of inflation and deflation. Drawing on the inflatable form as both material and metaphor, Conflated brings disparate artists together to explore bodies, environments and cultures through contemporary art. Here, the cycle of breathing serves as a framework through which a wide array of experiences, behaviours and expressions are examined.

Conflated is a NETS Victoria touring exhibition, curated by Zoë Bastin and Claire Watson. This project has been assisted by the Australian Government's Visions of Australia program and the Victorian Government through Creative Victoria.

Image: Installation view, David Cross, Pair, 2021, Installation, PVC Vinyl, in ANU School of Art & Design Gallery, 2022. Commissioned by NETS Victoria 2020-2021. Courtesy the artist. Photo: David Paterson.