Vibha Surya's Tamil Identity - Artist Perspective

Vibha Surya shares her perspective on her Tamil identity and why representation is important.

The late 1990s and 2000s India, especially Chennai did not have many Picture books in the Indian setting. Even though there were wonderful publishers publishing books representing India, I couldn't find much in my local library or bookstore. So growing up, I saw illustrations and read more stories of English country houses and fields, white children with winter clothes and western names.

As someone who grew up in a sunny coastal South Indian city, Chennai, with chaotic traffic but peaceful beaches and colourful summer clothing, I couldn't connect with a lot of stories, even though I enjoyed them.

As an illustrator, I am drawn to stories representing Indian or south Asian stories. With bright sun blazing in the sky with Asian animals, people and environments.

If you'd like to see more of Vibha’s work, you can check out her portfolio here.

To work with Vibha, please contact: [email protected].

At illo agency, we pride ourselves in representing a collation of global illustrators, distinctly diverse in creativity and uniquely celebrated by like-minded clients across a range of commercial markets.