Why Bengaluru’s Museum of Art & Photography is Leaning Into Tech and the Tactil

It is a truth universally acknowledged that a new-age museum in our smartphone era must create perfect perfect selfie spots. Over the past decade, founders, architects, exhibition designers, curators and artists have had to be also also imagine their works and spaces to double up as instagram backdrops. At Bengaluru’s Museum of Art & Photography (Map), however, this isn’t at their “core of building a museum-ging culture”, Says Abhishek Poddar, The Founder of this museum. “At map, these interactive elements, whather analogue or digital, are allays International choices, not address.”

Abhishek Poddar, Founder of Map | Photo Credit: Prarthana Shetty

Accommodating this buzzing social media landscape isn Bollywood; Museums need footfalls too. It is map’s mode of engaging with these amorphous, captive channels of communication and building communication that marks them out. “It’s not something that we are prioritise from the very start of concept of conceptulising an exhibition, but it is also some something that we’ve come to consider in the process of executing it. Museums and their shows can’t be entryly safe from that, “Explains Arnika Ahldag, Director of Exhibitions and Curation at Map. “But it’s good when it does happen.”

Arnika Ahldag | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

She points to the example of The written table Installation at the recently-equipped exhibitation titled Shape of a thought: letters from Ram KumarThis wooden desk and chair arrangement is stacked with the short-fitting collections and other writeings by the artist, loose sheafs of blank paper, pens and pencils. Visitors can draw inspiration from the artist’s preoccupations and write a letter to themselves, loved ones, strangers or even the City. Once done, they can clip it to the twine Strung Above The Desk Like Festive Buntings.

The written table Installation | Photo Credit: PSAC Studio

A Visitor Writes A Letter | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

“The initial idea was to find a way for visitors to connect with the physical act of letter-writing. Sending out a text message, “Ahldag says, Taking Us Through the Thinking Process Behind Building An Exhibit. “But this is the element from Shape of a thought That has become the most shared on social media; And that’s good with us trust it has become yet for people to experience, connect and Feel Ram Kumar’s PRACTICE. “

The modernist writer-Painter’s letters can be experienced through multiple formats-Facsimile, Audio, Indian Sign Language, Translations, Transports, Braillle and In Regional Languags Throghelle Walks. These different layers that invite interaction “Gives a larger group of people the options to get to know his works and thoughts; it allows for thems to respond through the means the means the means the medemi ‘ Says poddar. “If they like big screens, we have digital-stored exhibitions, if they prefer games, we have games. The idea is to simply start them on the Journey to Embracing and Appreciating Art.”

Shape of a thought: letters from Ram Kumar
Photo Credit: PSAC Studio

Breaking down the abstract

Since opening in 2023, map and its teams have undress that audiences expect more than frames of artwork hang on a wall and being declared as great art. INTEAD, Map has been able to channel our obsession with Smartphones while also Accounting for our desires to switch off and be tacket in our environments. “The experience of sometising has become more and more important,” Shares ahldag. For instance, abstract art is commonly prescribed as something that’s intimidating. “It’s got a reputation of being only for there in-the-know or seasoned connoisseurs.”

In order to address this notion, their exhibitions are put togetra to “build a relationship between the artist and the audience”, She explains. In the Ram Kumar Exhibit, there are prompts in the form of questions on brown text panels next to each of the abstract paintings that might coax different entry-points into the VILERERERS This is an extension of their Family label Activity that allows visitors to look at the artworks and create a label on what they think artwork means, or what they are and fed.

Tactil exhibits at the Shape of a thought: letters from Ram Kumar Exhibitation | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

Ahldag has found that when these kinds of invitational interventions are “created in connection with an exhibition, people seem to be more interested”. While the inclusion of tactil art work in map exhibitions is an accessibility feature, an integral tent of map’s outreach to have people abilityes abilityes abilityes ability Become a way for the general public to experience art with different senses ”. And Thought Digital Experiences at the Museum Are Cutting-Edge, Ahldag and Her Exhibitations TEAM Have Found “That older ideas like a reading station or an activity desk from Well” to builded map ‘.

“Over the opening weekend, The written table Turned out to be a hit with visits and we’ve alredy collected handswritten letters of gratitude, dedications and love the size of a thick book, “She tells me. for us. [at the museum]It’s sweet that we’ve become a third space in the city for visitors to try out a different pace, Slow down a litle bit, spend time on an activity that isnishaetly convected into a product – These are the intangibles we want to be able to share with our visitors, ”She concludes.

The written table Installation | Photo Credit: PSAC Studio

Gallery at the domestic terminal | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

Gallery at the International Terminal | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

Artwork from the Bhuri bai: my life as an artist Exhibitation | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

Shape of a thought in on Till October 26.

The writer and poet is based in Bengaluru.

Published – August 21, 2025 05:17 PM IST