It’s the season for giving. What will you give?

This Monday, we had William Dalrymple at MAP and he was every bit as good as advertised on the tin. Tying Buddha to Leonardo da Vinci takes some skill and he did that effortlessly in his talk. I’m still recovering from the pearls he dropped.

Talking about pearls reminds me that this is the gifting season. Who doesn’t like receiving gifts? I am looking forward to the Secret Santa we do in the MAP office every year. If you are the gifter though, finding a good, unusual, and memorable gift is a big challenge. But fear not, I am here.

Why not gift a MAP membership to a friend, or even an acquaintance? The Standard MAP Membership is a small investment for a year of learning and joy. All you have to do is add your giftee’s details while checking out. While you’re at it, why not get one for yourself too? As you can see below, in just the next 7 days you would be able to attend a bunch of events and visit our physical exhibitions for free. And you can do this all year round. It’s a nice way to feed that spark of curiosity that I believe can charge this journey called life.

Go ahead, awaken someone’s curiosity with a MAP membership.

Be curious.

Harish Vasudevan,

Acting Director,

Upcoming Events at MAP

Guided Walk | Visible/Invisible

Friday, December 20, 4:00 pm

Join us on a guided walk of the exhibition, Visible/Invisible: Representation of Women in Art through the MAP Collection that encourages reflection and dialogue about women’s lives in the Indian subcontinent.

Register Here

Workshop | Live Sketch with Penciljam

Saturday, December 21, 12:00 pm & 4:00 pm

Be inspired by mica paintings and create your own artwork. This exciting live sketching workshop will focus on the exhibition, The Forgotten Souvenir.

Register for 12:00 pm

Register for 4:00 pm

Guided Walk | Visible/Invisible

Saturday, December 21, 1:00 pm

Take a closer look at a few of the 130 diverse artworks inVisible/Invisible, and learn more about representation of women in art.

Register Here

Workshop | Mindfulness Meditation

Saturday, December 21, 4:00 pm

Join Lama Aria Drolma for a meditation session following an introspective, guided walk of Rhyme Unbroken — Krishna Reddy as Artist and Perpetual Student.

Register Here

Guided Walk | Chay Reds, Ferrous Black

Saturday, December 21, 4:00 pm

Discover the unique connection between trade textiles, history, and culture in this guided walk of Chay Reds, Ferrous Black.

Register Here

Guided Walk | Motifs & Meaning

Sunday, December 22, 11:00 am

This insightful guided walk by Pavithra Muddaya of Vimor, will delve into the symbolism behind textile motifs.

Register Here

Guided Walk | The Forgotten Souvenir

Sunday, December 22, 1:00 pm

Dive into the rich history of mica paintings created during the East India Company’s heyday in this guided walk of The Forgotten Souvenir.

Register Here

Youth Engagement | Community Check-in

Sunday, December 22, 3:00 pm

Participate in a quick catch-up session and engage in collective collage-making to explore what being “In Transit” means to you and others.

Register Here

Guided Walk | Rhyme Unbroken

Sunday, December 22, 4:00 pm

Learn about the artistic journey, unique techniques, and evolution of Krishna Reddy’s remarkable art in this guided walk.

Register Here

Guided Walk | Chay Reds, Ferrous Black

Sunday, December 22, 4:00 pm

Consider how textiles became a part of our cultural heritage by exploring their history in this guided walk.

Register Here

Film Screening | Maa Bhoomi

Sunday, December 22, 4:30 pm

Spend this Sunday at the screening of Maa Bhoomi, a gripping adaptation of Krishan Chander’s novella. The film screening and discussion will be facilitated by?Ashish Rajadhyaksha, and?S.V. Srinivas.?

Register Here

Exhibitions at MAP

• With the decline of the Mughal empire in the 18th century, royal patronage towards the arts started drying up. So, artists had to resort to inexpensive material such as mica to adapt to the demands of a new, predominantly European clientele. With a close resemblance to European glass paintings, mica paintings made for attractive souvenirs for intrepid British travellers. The Forgotten Souvenir exhibits some of these delicate mica artworks, giving a glimpse into India’s rich artistic history and influences.
• From the bustling shores of the Coromandel Coast, vibrant textiles crafted in India made their way to Sri Lanka, not just as commodities, but as carriers of culture, faith, and artistic endeavour. Within the Sri Lankan context, Indian symbols took on new meanings, getting localised and gently weaving themselves into the fabric of local traditions and customs. Chay Reds, Ferrous Black: the Untold Stories of Indian Trade Textiles in Sri Lanka is an opportunity to see textiles from the 18th and 19th centuries, and learn more about the history and culture shared between India and Sri Lanka.

• Krishna Reddy trained at Visva-Bharati University, Santiniketan, founded by Rabindranath Tagore to provide holistic human and social development. Reddy was influenced by the greats of modern Indian art like Nandalal Bose and Ramkinkar Baij. He was also fuelled by his later interactions with Jiddu Krishnamurti and all these cemented his belief in education as something beyond academics.
• For centuries, women have been one of the central themes of artistic expression while having very little control over how they are represented. Come explore these representations through a varied collection of artworks in Visible/Invisible: Representations of Women in Art through the MAP Collection.

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All images, unless otherwise stated, courtesy MAP