Born in Leeds and based out of his studio in Lewisham, 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.

Palvinder is currently based out of Lewisham Art House, south London.

Please do get in touch for information on potential projects, collaborations, and commissions.

ABOUT

Education

Ecole Lesage, Tambour Beading, Paris, France
Royal College of Art, MA Constructed Textiles, London, UK
Buckinghamshire New University, BA Surface Design, Buckinghamshire, UK
Leeds College of Art and Design, Leeds, UK

Shows

The Knit and Stitch Show, London, 2025
Beijing Design Week, 2010
Salone del Mobile, Milan, 2010
IMM, Cologne, 2010
Maison & Objet, Paris, 2009
ICFF, New York, 2009
IMM, Cologne, 2008
ICFF, New York, 2007
Indigo, Paris, 2006
Texprint, London, 2006
Ambiente, Frankfurt, 2006
ICFF, New York, 2004
Ambiente, Frankfurt, 2004
New Designers, London, 2003

Awards

Mantero Prize, 2006
The Texprint Chairman’s Prize, 2006
The Rug Company, 2004
Browns Competition, 2004

Exhibitions

2020, Jam Circus, Deptford X, London, UK, 2025
Unlock Emotions, Deptford X, London, UK, 2024
Vogue, Boomer Gallery, London, UK, 2024
Lewisham Art House, London, 2024
The Paxton Centre, London, 2024
Jay & Co Pop Up, London, 2024
Park Royal Design District, 2023
Deptford X, London, 2022
Lewisham Art House, London, 2021 Lewisham Art House, London, 2019
Opus Gallery, Stow on the Wold, 2009
Vileroy & Bosch, Milan, 2006

“I have an unhealthy obsession with embellishment, this drives me to constantly find new ways of doing it, surprising even myself with some of the results I come up with…”

- Palvinder Nangla -