In Glimpses Of Civilisation, Nirmala invites the viewer to contemplate issues pertaining to rapid development and modernisation. These early works show Nirmala’s creative play in the form of intricate design using collage and acrylic, combining several pictorial elements resulting in a coherent image. Her works often explore critical issues such as environmental pollution, loss of heritage, and social injustices masked in the name of development. Nirmala Dutt Shanmughalingam studied drawing, painting, and art history at the Corcoran School of Art in Washington DC and in Massachusetts at both the Boston College of Art and Harvard Universities Fogg Museum. She studied printmaking at Goldsmiths and undertook a Masters of Philosophy at University College London. Her work has been exhibited internationally, at the National Gallery of Thailand, the Fukuoka Art Museum in Japan, the Barbican Centre London, the Singapore Art Museum as well as in “Breaking The Veils: Women Artists Of The Islamic World” a touring exhibition organised jointly by UNESCO and the Royal Society of Fine Arts in Jordan.