MAP Bengaluru unveils a new art exhibition, The Many Lives of the Cat!

From Mughal courts and temple pillars to jungles and homes, cats have been there to witness the world go by, sometimes as companions, sometimes as fierce, divine beings and other times as muses for artistic pursuits. Drawing inspiration from art historian BN Goswamy’s seminal book The Indian Cat: Stories, Paintings, Poetry and Proverbs, Museum of Art & Photography (MAP) unveils a new exhibition — The Many Lives of the Cat.

“We wanted to create an exhibition format that appeals to a broad audience, something people can relate to and see a bit of themselves in. So we decided to begin with a universal symbol, something familiar to almost everyone. Around the same time, BNG’s final book was released. He was a dear friend of MAP and it felt meaningful to honour that relationship and his legacy. That’s how this idea came together,” curator Khushi Bansal begins.

The Many Lives of the Cat is a one-of-its-kind exhibition featuring paintings, sculptures, textiles, matchbox covers and artist sketchbooks that spotlight one of the most enigmatic muses in art history — the cat.

Meow musings

“The cat, as they say, has nine lives. Our exhibition traces a few of them. The first section looks at the cat as a companion, its close, affectionate relationship with humans. The second is mischief, which explores the cat’s playful, restless nature, always up to something. The third section examines the cat as a political symbol, used in resistance against caste-based greed. And the final section, The Fierce Cat, expands the cat into the larger natural world, looking at big cats and the myths and legends surrounding them,” she reveals.

Khushi and her team at MAP delve into how Indian artists across centuries have portrayed the feline as a subversive and whimsical figure. Through works that span time periods and materials by artists like Jamini Roy, KG Subramanyan, Chandana Hore, TS Satyan and Bhupendra Baghel, it offers perspectives on how cats have been captured in art.

“The textile art is a souvenir piece, likely given to someone leaving India just after partition, as the new nation was taking shape. It reflects the plunder, the violence that exist ed then. We’ve also included a Ganjifa card in the section,” she shares. From miniature paintings to contemporary pop culture, the exhibition traces the cat as muse, metaphor and mirror, with immersive experiences like an in-gallery art detective game, audio stories, tactile works, videos and curator-led walkthroughs.

Entry free. On till March 29. At Kasturba Road.

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