The Museum of Art and Photography wasn’t born as a museum – at least, not in the flesh. Conceived by philanthropist and collector Abhishek Poddar in 2020 as India's first online-only art and photography gallery, it effectively upended the typical ‘physical-first, digital-next’ museum rulebook by assuming a bricks-and-mortar avatar earlier this month, three years after its digital launch.
From the outside, the building is reminiscent of a post-industrial water tank, a metaphor for the capacity of art to quench the thirst for wisdom, to galvanise society and culture, and to reflect and evolve. The stainless steel façade is emblazoned with industrially pressed matte-finished panels that form a container-like skin over the structure, holding a mirror to the tanks of Bangalore's bygone colonial era.
The collections, broadly speaking, span pre-modern art, textiles, craft and design, living traditions, printing and advertising, photography, and modern and contemporary art. Of particular note is the photography collection, which is one of the most diverse in India, with artists and oeuvres ranging from the mid-19th century right up to the present day.
The museum lies at the intersection of art and technology, with digital integrations underpinning the exhibits on display. In the welcome atrium, for example, flickering digital lamps, lit via QR codes, pay homage to the Indian tradition of placing a lamp near the doorway. Likewise, MAP's recently launched digital persona of the late artist MF Husain – conceived in collaboration with Accenture – lets visitors interact with the artist in real time.
and what does 'democratises art and culture ' ever mean? exactly ?