Opening of the Museum of Art & Photography, Bangalore, Karnataka

Speaking with Dr Gayatri Sinha, and Professor Sharada Srinivasan

Photograph © Lanto Synge 2022

In December 2022 I visited Bangalore – now also known as Bengaluru – for the opening of the new Museum of Art and Photography. This is the brainchild of Abhishek Poddar and his family. For many years Abhishek has been a determined and inspired collector, specialising in both the popular and the elite, and mostly reflecting the 18th–21st centuries, time-spans not well covered elsewhere in the museums of India.

Photography is a major element in the collection, but also prominent are textiles, sculpture, paintings, and prints and drawings, as well as woodwork, glass and metal-working. A highly visible component of the collection is the work of living artists, some of which is challenging but also essential in the interrogation of society and its accepted norms; most of this comes from urban studios.

With Nick Merriman (then Director of the Horniman) and Maria Balshaw (Director of Tate).

Photograph © Lanto Synge 2022

Also represented, however, are works from rural or forest groups reminding us that much of India remains connected to the land. All of this can as well be viewed remotely via a well-planned online database, a feature that is unusual in the subcontinent; this is a great achievement.

Importantly, this institution is both private and free; it is not a government undertaking, but provides the city with a stimulating and supportive cultural centre. Also, and exceptionally in India, there is no entrance charge. It is fully accessible and is located in a new, purpose-built building in the centre of this burgeoning metropolis. Its programme of public engagement would be the envy of many museums outside the subcontinent. It was therefore with great pleasure that I was able to witness the inaugural celebrations of this institution, celebrations which were only slightly dampened by the cyclone which unexpectedly swept in off the Bay of Bengal! The presence of supporters, scholars and enthusiasts from all over India, and also from abroad, made this a truly memorable occasion.