With MAP, we wanted to challenge the idea that an art museum is elitist, says Abhishek Poddar
His family business is tea and explosives but Bengaluru-based businessman Abhishek Poddar is better known for his expansive and eclectic collection of art that includes everything from Bhil art and Manjit Bawa paintings to Bollywood posters. His passion for collecting, which began as a teenager with a Jatin Das drawing, spilled over from the walls of his home and office to a gallery and, now, a museum whose acronym is quite apt for what it aims to do — that is, put India’s Silicon Valley on the art map. As MAP (the Museum of Art and Photography) launches virtually, the 52-year-old Poddar tells Neelam Raaj why the barriers between high art and low art need to come down.