Exhibitions

The Many Lives of the Cat

“My cat? Noble is she and of gentle temper.
Like a winged fairy she seems to be
When she leaps
Or when she lands, coyly swaying.
Methinks she is some other-worldly being”

– Asadullah Khan Ghalib
Translated from Persian by B.N. Goswamy*

How has the most meme’able, memorable and mischievous animal known to man been represented across art history in the subcontinent? Our latest exhibition, The Many Lives of the Cat, seeks to answer this question by presenting a showcase of how the Indian cat appears in paintings, sculptures, matchbox covers, artist sketchbooks and more.

The exhibition offers an entry point into Indian art history, as framed by the scholarly commentary of beloved art historian and critic, B.N.Goswamy. A dear friend to MAP, BNG was not particularly fond of felines, but that did not stop him from documenting their influence on visual culture in his book, The Indian Cat: Stories, Paintings, Poetry, and Proverbs.

We take a page out of his book and have curated a gallery experience that pays homage to the figure of the cat, which transgresses boundaries and offers sly commentary on the socio-cultural aspects of Indian daily life. On display are works that span time periods, and materials, by modernists like Jamini Roy, K.G. Subramanyan, and contemporary artists like Chandana Hore and Bhupendra Baghel, amongst others. The exhibition traces the many lives of the cat, looking at it as a subversive, political, mischievous and whimsical character in Indian art history.

We invite you to come and see the many forms the cat takes on through countless stories at MAP. As always, we have worked hard to ensure that the experience is accessible and immersive, with an in-gallery AR-T detective game, audio stories, tactile works, ISL videos, and curator-led walkthroughs.

See you at the Meowseum of Art & Photography, on November 8, 2025.

*Excerpt from page 191 of ‘The Indian Cat’ by B.N. Goswamy