This exhibition at MAP spotlights lesser-known celestial beings from global mythologies

Nothing works in silos — not in life, not even in the divine. When we look at mythology closely, it is about these ecosystems, margins and relationships, much like life itself. These beings we usually overlook are in fact central to how the stories unfold. At MAP, we wanted to shift that gaze — to show that the margins are often the real centres.

It was about finding balance. We begin with the figure of the Angel Gabriel — Jibril in Islam, Gabriel in Christianity — to show how celestial attendants appear across cultures, carrying weight and playing significant roles, no matter how overlooked in the larger narrative. There also are traces of cultural exchange and fusion evident through some other objects. And alongside the radiant and familiar, we placed figures like Dhumavati’s crow — the so called inauspicious turned meaningful — to remind us that darkness too finds its place in the light of mythology.

So many. I was fascinated by the Sindhi oral tale of Jhulelal, where a child is born with the Indus river shimmering in his mouth and an old man riding a fish. Or how Mooshika, now Ganesha’s gentle mouse, was once a demon. I love how many of these stories turn what was once a vice or a menace into a strength just with a little redirection, elevating a lot of the entities that make up an ecosystem largely. It is a reminder of how everything holds importance, whether big or small and how we too can turn challenges into boons and third and most important — how nothing is essentially only good or bad, things don’t exist in such binaries. There are multiple ways of reading into this exhibition.

That mythology is deeply relational. It is not about solitary gods but networks — attendants, vehicles, dancers, guardians, musicians. Each of them is essential. And it reflects something larger: that in life too, what we think of as peripheral is often holding the centre together.

Each work is a voice in a chorus. A kalamkari ceiling filled with celestial dancers, a wooden chariot panel with ganas beating drums, a printed textile label of Ganga on her makara — all look very different, but together they form a continuum of mythmaking. We wanted visitors to feel how art carries these stories across mediums, centuries and cultures. And as a museum, intent is to put story first, mix these varied mediums to bring fresh perspectives and do things differently

The 360° experience is MAP’s way of experimenting with technology, making stories immersive and alive again. And, Garuda’s story in the exhibition is a fascinating narrative. These folios show simultaneity in the miniature painting tradition and the vibrance of colours and characters is magical. It was a natural progression for us to turn this into an experiential engagement by using the narrative of these folios and making it come to life through technology.

I hope they leave with wonder — and with sharper eyes. To see art in general a little differently and find other meanings and layers. Also, more contextually to understand that mythology is not just about gods, but about communities of beings, each carrying meaning. And to take that learning beyond myth: that margins matter, ecosystems matter and overlooked stories often hold the most power.