Małgorzata Mirga-Tas began her career as a sculptor working with cardboard and glue to create semi-abstract works which combined iconography from everyday life with the extraordinary. Although her choice of medium has changed over the years, her commitment to using found materials and depicting Roma culture in a positive light has remained constant. For the 14th Gwangju Biennale, Mirga-Tas has made three new textile works, which celebrate the ordinary and highlight the importance of community. Working with clothes donated by her family and friends enables the artist to give ‘a second life to materials that had long been used up’. This decision is a response to concerns around waste and environmental impact, but the clothing fragments also signify the people who once wore them; people from the Roma community who Mirga-Tas also depicts.