Born in Leeds and based out of his studio in Lewisham Art House, South London, Palvinder Nangla’s practice utilises embellishment and stitching as tools for exploring the construction of identity.

Symbolic of the detritus of society, Nangla’s materials operate in conversation with his own identity. The found materials have an origin and lived history, one which will ultimately remain unknown. ‘Rescuing’ these materials, Nangla stitches them into the surface; securing them, creating a space. Fastening these objects in the work he is engaging directing with notions of displacement and belonging.

The healing potential of textiles has become progressively central to Nangla’s practice. An advocate of textiles’ power to palliate instances of trauma, his work champions the medium’s meditative benefits and ability to improve dexterity. Recent work has developed in unison with this philosophy. Gravitating towards an increasingly abstract aesthetic, his new work uses psychological and medical source imagery to explore identity. Notably his Brain Scans and Rorschach series, which examine ideas of perception and scrutinise the clinical impact of trauma.