Mathew & Ghosh Architects’ water-tank themed Museum of Art & Photography (MAP) is due to open in Bengaluru on 18 February.
The museum is wrapped in a steel façade and has a small footprint that expands on the upper levels, mimicking the structure of a water tank. According to the architect, the allusion is intended to suggest the idea of art as water – an ever-changing reflection of human life, and essential to its flourishing.
The five-storey project will contain galleries, an auditorium, art and research library, a learning centre, a terrace cafe and a specialised research and conservation facility. The structural elements are located at its outer surface, allowing for column-free galleries.
The museum contains a 60,000-piece collection, including pre-modern art, textiles, design, print, adverts, photography and contemporary works. The opening exhibition will include art, photography, textiles and design from the Indian subcontinent.
Soumitro Ghosh, the Bengaluru architect’s co-founder, said: “We see our responsibility as architects to give complete foreground to art in all possible ways.
“Lightness of design and the freedom for light to shape spaces are key characteristic in all our works. For MAP, the issue of accessibility, rarely prioritised in public buildings in India, is important and so the physical space is designed in such a way as to be exceptionally accessible and inclusive.”
