The Museum of Art & Photography (MAP) invites you to The Forgotten Souvenir, an exhibition showcasing small, fragile mica paintings. These paintings tell a story of cultural encounter, adaptation, and how colonial aesthetics influenced Indian artists. Opening on November 30, 2024, the exhibition reveals how Indian artists transformed translucent muscovite, a type of mica often mislabeled as talc by the British, into paintings that would become mementos for European travellers.
The Forgotten Souvenir marks the first instance of mica paintings being presented in isolation, with an exclusive focus on this medium in its own right. Previously, these paintings have been part of broader exhibitions, often grouped under the ‘Company School’ alongside artworks on mediums such as ivory, shell and paper. In this exhibition they are foregrounded independently, allowing for a dedicated exploration of their unique qualities, historical context, and artistic significance.
EXHIBITION TITLE: The Forgotten Souvenir
DATE: November 30, 2024 – February 23, 2025
CONTACT: sneha.bennurakar@map-india.org
LOCATION: Museum of Art & Photography (MAP), Bengaluru
CURATED BY: Khushi Bansal
These artworks, painted using gouache (opaque water-soluble paint) on thin, fragile sheets of mica, reflect the shifting patronage of Indian art from the late 18th century onwards, as the glory of the Mughal Empire faded and royal support for the arts diminished. Responding to this changing landscape in arts patronage, Indian artists pivoted to meet the desires of a new clientele: British officials, traders, and travellers. Eager to capture glimpses of India these patrons sought smaller, more portable artworks that echoed the influences of Indian painting traditions, that could be acquired quickly and transported easily. Thus emerged the practice of painting on mica — artworks that mirror the aesthetic of European glass paintings and offer a snapshot of colonial India.
The exhibition highlights these paintings as prime examples of the ‘Company School’, named after the East India Company, whose officers and travellers fueled the demand for such pieces. Created in regions with ready access to mica, such as Murshidabad, Patna, and Trichinopoly (now Tiruchirappalli), these paintings offer insights into the professions, trade, and societal structures of India at the time. Each piece captures a unique perspective on a society under transformation, holding within its layers the dynamics of class, caste, and the encounter between East and West.
These artworks are more than just souvenirs; they are historical documents, illuminating the resilience of India’s painting traditions as the artists adapted to new patrons and purposes. From depictions of trades, occupations, divinity and more, these works provide a nuanced view of Indian society at a time of profound change.
The Forgotten Souvenir invites visitors to view these delicate paintings up close, as touchstones of India’s complex colonial past. Through this exhibition, MAP reintroduces an often-overlooked practice, bridging the gap between the fading era of traditional miniature painting and the arrival of photography.
This exhibition is accompanied by ‘Moments before Mutiny’, a short film by Amit Dutta and an interactive game for users to journey further through the exhibition.
