Museum Of Art And Photography, Bangalore

Situated in the heart of Bangalore, the Museum of Art and Photography beckons those with a heart for art. It houses a growing collection of paintings, sculptures, photographs, textiles, popular culture, and more. These collections date back to the 10th century to the present day. The place is a space where ideas brew through cultural exchanges, emphasising and encouraging empathy and humanity through art. MAP conducts art exhibitions and events that have something for everyone.

Museum of Art and Photography (MAP), Bangalore. Source MAP

Art is Life 2026 (Annual Art Festival) of the Museum of Art and Photography

The event ‘Art is Life’ is an art festival on 17th and 18th January, 2026, at the Museum of Art and Photography. It caters to everyone, whether an art enthusiast or an amateur. You can expect new film screenings, live performances, workshops, and much more to explore, create, and discover.

Event highlights:

January 17 – Kalburgi Kala Mandali
January 18 – Arivu – Casteless Collective
January 18 – Namma Bangalore, Nimma Perspective – Panel

Quick facts

Date: 17th & 18th January, 2026
All programmes allow free entry
Registration required for all workshops and selected events will open on 8th January, 2026.
Since all programmes are drop-in sessions with limited seating, people are requested to arrive early to secure a place.

Museum Of Art And Photography Exhibitions

Date	Name of the exhibition	Description	Venue	Booking info
Jan 17, 2026 – Dec 2, 2029	Beneath the Turning Sky	The exhibition is about how we accommodate ourselves in this universe by the way of our choices.	MAP Bengaluru Fourth Floor Manipal Gallery and Avanee Foundation Gallery	Ticketed
Mar 22, 2025 – Feb 15, 2026	Ticket Tika Chaap: The Art of the Trademark in Indo-British Textile Trade	The exhibition explores perhaps the earliest forms of advertisement and branding in India with ‘textile labels.’	MAP Bengaluru Citi Gallery Third Floor	Ticketed
Nov 8, 2025 – Mar 29, 2026	The Many Lives of the Cat	The exhibition showcases how the Indian cat appears in paintings, matchbox covers, sculptures, artist text books etc.,	MAP Bengaluru Ground Floor Infosys Foundation Gallery	Free
Dec 12, 2025 – Mar 31, 2026	Mild tooth of Milk	The exhibition showcases Dutch artist Afra Eisma’s creation of friendly aliens. It’s an invitation to be warm and generous and feel and establish a connection through play.	Fort Kochi Dutch Warehouse First Floor	Free

MAP’S Online Exhibitions

Name	Description
The Forgotten Souvenir	Mica Painting (the forgotten Indian art)
In Celestial Company	Explore the legends of the vahanas or vehicles of deities like Garuda, Mooshika, Airavata, Somanadi, and more.
VISIBLE/INVISIBLE: Representation of Women in Art through the MAP Collection	The exhibition explores how Indian women were represented in art for centuries.
With great ease: The photography of T. S. Satyan	The exhibition of T.S.Satyan’s natural photography, which reflects curiosity and freedom.
Jyoti Bhatt: Time & Time Again	Explore Jyoti Bhatt’s photos, which touch one emotionally and intellectually as it is full of empathy and curiosity about the human condition.
Hello & Goodbye: Postcards from the Early 20th Century	Get a glimpse into life of the early twentieth century through picture postcards.
KG Subramanyan: Bahurupee in the Panorama	KG Subramanyan: Bahurupee in the Panorama
Painted Stitches, Woven Stories-II	Explore the variations in woven textiles in clothing, paintings, photographs and contemporary art.
See, Think, Wonder	It is a blend of young voices and new perspectives of how art makes us look at the world and how we look at art.
Sights and Sounds	It’s a combination of art and sound for an entirely different experience and appeal.
Stories on a Banana leaf	It is a combination of sculptures, paintings, prints, textiles and photos with recipes from team members.
Rock City	The exhibition enraptures one with rock concerts and anecdotes from the audience.
Painted Stitches, Woven Stories	The theme of the exhibition is about the artistic practice of making cloth by bringing about a connection between textiles, paintings & sculptures through motifs, makers, techniques and patterns. It also explores the Kantha stitch as to how it appears, re-appears and disappears in the practice of modern artists.
Zoya Siddiqui: A Distant Place	Explore the works of the artist, Zoya Siddiqui, which beckons the viewers to find themselves in their personal spaces, community and the whole world at large.
Bhuri Bai: My Life as an Artist	Explore the life of the artist, muralist and illustrator, Bhuri Bai in this exhibition through paintings.
Shanthamani M: Past Continuous	Explore the images of the old and new Bangalore city and to know whether they merge or collide. Find out if the past is continued in the present fabric of the dynamic city.
Suresh Punjabi: The Business of Dreams	Explore the unseen photography archive of Suresh Punjabi, who has recorded the social and personal lives of the people of Nagda, an industrial town in Madhya Pradesh.

Museum of Art and Photography Events

Date	Time	Name of the Event	Description	Location	Featuring
January 9, 2026	6:00 pm – 7:30 pm	A Short History of Beauty: Pahari Painting Revisited	Talk	MAP Bengaluru	Dr. Debra Diamond
January 10, 2026	11:00 am – 2:00 pm	The Fundamentals Of Game Design: An Introductory Workshop	Workshop	MAP Bengaluru Learning Centre Lower Ground Floor	Abhishek Lamba
January 10, 2026 – January 11, 2026	2:00 pm – 5:00 pm	One-in-a-million	Drop-in sessions	MAP Bengaluru Ground Floor
January 10, 2026	5:00 pm – 6:00 pm	An Evening of K V Tirumalesh’s Poetry	Storytelling session	MAP Bengaluru Infosys Foundation Gallery Ground Floor
January 10, 2026	5:00 pm – 7:00 pm	ArtCade Night	Workshop	MAP Bengaluru Citi Gallery Third Floor	Abhishek Lamba
January 11, 2026	10:30 am – 1:00 pm	Draw with PencilJam	Workshop	MAP Bengaluru	Penciljam
February 14, 2026	9:00 am – 6:30 pm	Beyond Headcount Diversity – MAP’s 3rd Inclusion Conference, 2026	Conference	MAP Bengaluru

Booking Information: All the events are free, but require registration.

Furthermore, there are workshops for school students, kids, and families, as well as capacity-building for teachers designed by the Museum of Art and Photography, Bangalore. It also hosts public lectures on various topics curated for all, thereby bringing art into everyone’s life.

You could also shop online on MAP for artistic daily essentials, home essentials, fashion accessories, and more.