Portmanteau

g39 has been invited to present a special group exhibition within Halle 14 in Leipzig, Germany, an expansive centre for the arts housed in a disused Cotton Spinning Mill.

Since 2003, more than 15 art galleries and exhibition rooms have opened and over 80 artists work at the Leipzig Cotton Spinning Mill. One to three international group exhibitions per year take place and this year g39 have been invited to present a curated insight of contemporary art from Wales and other UK based artists.

The word portmanteau traces back to the mid 16th century in English in which it was used in its arcane form, portemantew, to describe a bag or carrying case for clothing. At the end of the 16th century, it was first used in France, as 'porte-manteau,' to label the human carrier of clothing. By the 17th century, its original meaning was extended to any case or container of a mix of items. In the 21st century this was further extended to include any portable memory device. For the exhibition, g39 will transport a ‘digital suitcase’ for presentation. Think of this as a last minute decision to go on a weekend trip and having to pack an overnight bag with the essentials. With that in mind g39 are taking a hard drive to project digital works in the space at Halle 14, alongside several physical recent works. Selected artists are Jennie Savage & James Tyson, Anthony Shapland, Richard Bevan, Helen Sear, Lisa Stansbie, Candice Jacobs, Lesley Guy, Tamara Krikorian, Pascal Dubois, Maia Conran and Heather Phillipson.