The Museum of Art & Photography (MAP) in Bengaluru, India
The Museum of Art & Photography (MAP)
Opening February 18, 2023
The Museum of Art & Photography (MAP), housed in a state-of-the-art building in South India’s capital city, Bengaluru, will open to the public on February 18, 2023.
MAP has been developed to act as a beacon for South Asian arts and culture worldwide. Benefitting from extensive digital as well as physical content, it will be the first new private museum to open in India in a decade. MAP is the brainchild of philanthropist and collector Abhishek Poddar, who also gifted the founding collection and is led by its Director, Kamini Sawhney.
Speaking about MAP’s purpose, Museum Founder Abhishek Poddar said: “I believe we need MAP now because South Asian cultures represent the cultures of nearly a quarter of the world’s population, and yet their stories have not been told. I hope that through the building, the collections, and our online content, we can open up a dialogue with the world in this time when new narratives are being shaped.”
The Museum of Art & Photography's mission is to democratize art, making it an enjoyable and relevant experience for everyone. MAP hopes to change the general perception of museums in the country and show that they are, in fact, engaging spaces — of ideas, storytelling, dialogue, and cultural exchange, that will help build a museum-going culture. Ultimately MAP seeks to inspire people to interact with art in ways that encourage humanity, empathy, and a deeper understanding of the world we live in.
MAP is custodian of a growing collection of over 60,000 artworks that take viewers on a comprehensive journey of Indian art and culture. Predominantly from the Indian subcontinent and dating from the 10th century to the present, the collection includes paintings, sculptures, textiles, photographs, and more.
Launched in 2020, MAP’s digital museum has worked on innovative ways of connecting with audiences across the world. The digital museum offers curated online exhibitions, along with programming elements such as artist talks, panel discussions, workshops for children, masterclasses, and so on, that explore related themes. There is also a focus on quality content, ranging from blogs to essays and interviews, that appeal even to people who are unfamiliar with the arts. MAP’s core aim with the digital museum is to actively work at reaching and captivating new audiences, especially those who have had no previous exposure to the arts.
Alongside this, MAP Academy is the first online resource making available South Asian art histories and offering online courses and access to its rapidly developing encyclopedia of works from the region.
MAP will open its doors to the public in February 2023 in its landmark 44,000 square foot building, located in the heart of Bangalore’s museum quarter and designed by Bangalore-based architects Mathew & Ghosh. Divided into five stories, the museum will include art galleries, an auditorium, a library, a multimedia gallery, a technology center, a sculpture courtyard, a learning center, a specialized research and conservation facility, a gift store, a café, a member's lounge, and a terrace fine-dining restaurant.
