Art Is Life: New Beginnings Festival 2025 at MAP Bengaluru

Bengaluru, Karnataka

Art Is Life: New Beginnings

30 Nov 2024 to 1 Dec 2024

Art Is Life: New Beginnings is a week-long celebration of the arts that fosters community-building through collaborations and discussions. The third and latest edition of the festival took place at the Museum of Art & Photography (MAP) in Bengaluru. It was held between 18 and 24 Feb 2023, during which museum-goers from across the country were able to experience the rich and diverse collection of South Asian art. The opening week featured a diverse array of art forms displayed both on-site and online. In addition to exhibitions, the festival also offered a range of talks and performances at the museum, while the digital version showcased curated content about the museum and its mission.

Previous editions of the festival were conducted online. Art Is Life launched as a digital event in 2020 during the pandemic and provided an outlet for people to engage with art through a vast array of online programming and events. In 2021, Art Is Life: SoundFrames was conceptualised, designed, and themed around music, exploring the power of the museum and music in bringing people together.

The 2023 edition of Art Is Life: New Beginnings, offered several exciting highlights, such as an interactive session with MAP’s Founder, Abhishek Poddar, and Director, Kamini Sawhney, a performance of Bharatnatyam dance by Rukmini Vijayakumar, a panel discussion on LN Tallur’s showcase at MAP, and an illustrated lecture on two iconic genres of modern art from 19th and 20th century Bengal by Dr. Tapati Guha Thakurta. Additionally, a thought-provoking panel discussion focused on the publication of one of their inaugural exhibitions, VISIBLE/INVISIBLE: Representation of Women in Art, which included essays, artworks, and curatorial notes on the themes of the exhibition.

Other eminent personalities who have been part of the festival include art historian B. N. Goswamy, lyricist Javed Akhtar, actors Shabana Azmi and Arundhati Nag, bharatanatyam dancer Malavika Sarukkai, singer Kavita Seth, artist Jitish Kallat, composer Ricky Kej, as well as the groups Kabir Cafe and Penn Masala.

Check out more art festivals here.

Age: Open to all

Hosting Type: Hybrid, In-person

Frequency: Once a year

Genre: Arts and Crafts, Design, Heritage, Multiarts, New Media, Photography, Visual Arts

Festival Schedule

Festival map, artist-line-up, and the full festival schedule of areas, activities and events.

View Schedule

Gallery

How To Get There

How to Reach Bengaluru

1. By Air: You can reach Bengaluru via air at Bengaluru International Airport, which is located at a distance of 40 km from the city.
Discover affordable flights to Bengaluru on IndiGo.

2. By Rail: Bengaluru Railway Station is located in the heart of the city. Various trains from all over India come to Bengaluru, including the Mysore Express from Chennai, Karnataka Express from Delhi and Udyan Express from Mumbai, which covers many major cities in between.

3. By Road: The city is connected to various other cities via major national highways. Buses from neighbouring states run on a regular basis to Bengaluru, and Bengaluru Bus Stand also runs various buses to major cities in South India.

Source: Goibibo

Map Link

Facilities

Family-friendly

Gendered toilets

Parking facilities

Accessibility

Wheelchair access

Items & Accessories to Carry

1. A sturdy water bottle, if the festival has refillable water stations, and if the venue allows bottles to be taken inside the festival site. Hey, let’s do our bit for the environment, shall we?

2. Footwear. Sneakers (a perfect option if it’s not likely to rain) or boots (but make sure they are worn in). You need to keep those feet tappin’.

3. COVID packs: Hand sanitiser, extra masks and a copy of your vaccination certificate are things you should keep handy.

Connect online

About Museum of Art & Photography (MAP)

Museum of Art & Photography (MAP)

The Museum of Art & Photography (MAP), is the vision of one of India’s most prominent art collectors Abhishek Poddar. The museum is a not-for-profit organisation that wishes to promote South Asian art around the world by highlighting the vast and rich cultural heritage of India. It is also a custodian to over 60,000 objects ranging from artworks, sculptures, textiles and more. The idea of inclusivity and accessibility are at the core of what The Museum of Art & Photography (MAP) strives to achieve within the modern art space in the country, by democratising art in a manner that it is available to a diverse range of audiences across the globe. Keeping with their mission of collaborative exploration, the museum boasts of a wide network of partnerships with universities, schools, museums and galleries across the country and the world. Their programmes include workshops with schools, colleges and universities in Bengaluru. MAP also ensures that their website is updated with an array of readily-available educational materials. It believes in the importance and potential of sharing knowledge and expertise in advocating for India’s extraordinary cultural heritage across the world. Located at the heart of Bengaluru, MAP hopes to change the general perception of museums across the country and show that they are in fact, engaging spaces for the interchange of ideas, storytelling, dialogue and cultural exchange. Ultimately, MAP seeks to inspire people to interact with art in ways that encourage humanity, empathy and a deeper understanding of the world we live in. See the complete list of festival organisers here.

Contact Details

Website

https://map-india.org

Mail ID

hello@map-india.org

Address

26/1 Sua House
Bengaluru
Karnataka 560001

Disclaimer

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Additional Terms for Digital Festivals

Users may face interruptions during the course of the live stream due to internet connectivity issues. Neither Festivals From India nor the Festival Organiser is responsible for such interruptions.