MUSEUM INFLUENCER 2026

Kamini Sawhney, former Founding Director of the Museum of Art & Photography (MAP), Bengaluru, has been instrumental in shaping contemporary museum practice in India. At MAP, she developed a model that combined digital access, interdisciplinary curation, and sustained public engagement, positioning the museum as both a physical and virtual space. Her work reflects a long-standing commitment to expanding how audiences interact with art and cultural institutions.

Extending her practice beyond a single institution, Sawhney took on a city-wide curatorial role in 2025 as Artistic Director of the public arts initiative within BLR Hubba. Here, the museum became a distributed urban experience, with artistic interventions embedded across neighbourhoods and civic spaces. Through installations, performances, and technology-driven projects, the programme foregrounded participation and accessibility, dissolving boundaries between gallery and city. This shift from institution-building to activating an entire cultural ecosystem marks a significant evolution in her curatorial approach.

Published image from page 325 of Kamini Sawhney
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Original published page 325
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Originally published in Museum Mosaic 2025, published May 2026.

Part of our annual review. Descriptions reflect the publication’s reporting period.