RESTORE by PORTABLE Collective

PORTABLE Collective is a group of Oxford-based artists formed in 2019, and nurtured through the long lockdown of 2020. We explore notions of agility, impermanence and transformation in the modern world.

For this exhibition we ask the question “Is Restoration an act of Repairing, Rehabilitation, Rebuilding Or is it instead a way of restricting growth, of stifling personal freedom and limiting transition?”

Our response highlights aspects of our most recent experiences, individually and collectively, in this our fourth post-pandemic exhibition. We reflect on what it means to Restore in its transitive sense, to give back or return, but also as a way of bringing something back into existence or use; returning it to a former or original state.

Our combined practice is wide-ranging, including drawing, photography, painting, installation, moving-image, print, intervention, sculpture and performance. What unites and inspires us is a willingness to explore and present all facets of an idea, question or theme in a way that does not seek to impose answers but instead fosters mutual support, discussion and collaboration; in our own work and in a wider context.