BORN IN DEVAKOTTAI IN TAMIL NADU, RM. PALANIAPPAN OFTEN INCORPORATES THE SYNTAX OF THE SCIENCES, SUCH AS DIAGRAMMATIC NOTATIONS AND SYMBOLS, IN HIS WORK. Palaniappan obtained a diploma in fine arts from Government College of Art and Craft, Madras, in 1980, and took a post diploma in industrial design with specialisation in ceramics the following year. Primarily a printmaker, Palaniappan started making drawings and acrylic paintings later on. He is also a photographer and has worked with digital and computer imagery. The memory of the first sight of the earth from above, while on a flight, appears frequently in the form of maps, grids, and aerial terrain. Another important trope in his works has been imagery associated with the flying machine, inspired by his fascination with Second World War cinema.
