A. V. Ilango is a Mathematics graduate and a self-taught artist who opted for a career in art. His early work used a colourful palette, recalling verdant and vibrant scenes, inspired by a childhood spent in south India's hinterland. He now lives in Chennai. Over the years, the urban milieu and the city's folks have found their way onto his canvas and in the last ten years, his compositions have turned minimalist with black and white dominating. Ilango has held several exhibitions in India and abroad. His artwork in Tulika's Who will be Ningthou? and Under the Neem Tree melds folk art and strong, abstract lines and shapes that are visually striking.