Born in Kerala in 1980, contemporary visual artist Anil Thambai currently bases his creative practice in Vadodara. His childhood in Kasaragod, a region rich in diverse languages, deeply sharpened his awareness of cultural storytelling. He formalised his training by completing visual arts degrees at Thiruvananthapuram’s College of Fine Arts and the Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda.

A cornerstone of Thambai's imagery stems from his own family's ancestral background in masonry. This lineage fuels his ongoing fascination with architecture, structural building processes, and the physical labor required for construction. Beyond architectural themes, his pieces delve into memory, cultural identity, and the struggles of marginalized communities. He masterfully blends traditional motifs inspired by Mughal miniatures and indigenous Pithora art with modern socio-political commentary.