Art and design: how this award-winning Bengaluru airport elevates passenger experience

Bengaluru airport’s Art Programme brings paintings, sculptures, installations, mixed media, and digital displays into Terminal 2’s arrival and departure areas. It matters because art is planned alongside architecture, sustainability, technology, and the garden-themed terminal concept. The programme aims to make travel more welcoming, memorable, and connected to Karnataka.

The airport displays more than 300 artworks by over a hundred artists. More than 90% were commissioned for the programme. Art appears across passenger spaces, while flight information displays can suggest installations based on how much time travellers have. Local heritage and the Naurasa, or nine emotions, guide the experience.

Terminal 2 was recognised among the Top 5 globally in Skytrax’s World’s Best Art in the Airport rankings. This recognition reflects a systematic approach, rather than a collection of isolated exhibits. The airport’s wider programme also includes festival performances, crafts, games, and food experiences, strengthening its role as a cultural gateway.

The collection is large enough to make Terminal 2 feel like a living museum rather than a terminal with a few display pieces. It includes more than 300 artworks by over a hundred artists. The works cover paintings, installations, mixed media, sculptures, and digital displays. They appear in both arrival and departure sections of the domestic and international terminals.

The most striking figure is that over 90% of the artworks were commissioned specifically for the Art Programme. This means the airport was able to plan works for particular spaces, passenger movements, and themes. Featured artists include Vivek Matthew, Ganesh Shankar, Dinesh Maneer, LN Tallur, Madhvi Subrahmanian, Yayati Godbole, and Sakshi Gupta.

The collection is supported by institutional partners, including the Department of Archaeology Museums and Heritage and the Museum of Art and Photography. Its scale gives passengers repeated opportunities to encounter art. It also helps the airport present Karnataka’s culture through many artistic forms, rather than through one central exhibition.

Terminal 2 treats art as part of the passenger journey, not as separate decoration. Its works are placed across arrival and departure areas, where passengers move, wait, navigate, and observe. The art programme sits alongside the terminal’s four design pillars: Terminal in a Garden, Sustainability, Technology, and art and culture. This makes creative work part of the airport’s wider operating environment.

A clear example is the flight information system. Depending on the time available, displays can suggest that passengers visit nearby art installations. The works also connect with the building’s materials, greenery, daylight, water, and garden-themed architecture. Entry gates use backlit photographs showing Bengaluru and Karnataka’s verdant greenery.

The art team planned the schematic and placement of the artworks, while SOM led the overall architecture and interior design. The programme uses Karnataka’s heritage and the Naurasa as its main themes. This approach helps art support wayfinding, atmosphere, cultural introduction, and memorable moments without overwhelming essential passenger information.

Airports often involve queues, crowds, uncertainty, wayfinding problems, and long waits. Combining art with greenery, natural materials, daylight, calming colours, and clear signage can soften those pressures. The result is an environment that feels more welcoming and less purely functional. Passengers can move through it with greater confidence while finding moments of interest.

Terminal 2 offers several examples. Its garden-themed architecture uses greenery and biophilic design. Flowing water and immersive installations can reduce the intensity of busy spaces. Accessible signs and intuitive layouts support navigation, while flight information displays may point passengers toward artworks when they have time to explore. Cultural performances add another layer during festivals.

The wider effect is a passenger journey that feels more engaging, authentic, and memorable. Local art and stories introduce visitors to Karnataka and can create pride among local residents. However, the article stresses balance: creativity must enhance usability, not distract from essential information. Thoughtful planning allows art to support comfort and identity at the same time.

Bangalore International Airport Limited, or BIAL, oversees the Art Programme and frames it as a cultural gateway within airport infrastructure. Its art team planned the artworks’ schematic and placement. This planning connects the collection to passenger routes, terminal spaces, themes, and operational needs. BIAL’s Art Programme Advisor, Yamini Telkar, explains how the system works.

More than a hundred artists contribute to the collection, including Vivek Matthew, Ganesh Shankar, Dinesh Maneer, LN Tallur, Madhvi Subrahmanian, Yayati Godbole, and Sakshi Gupta. Over 90% of the works were commissioned for the programme. Their output includes paintings, installations, mixed media, sculptures, and digital displays.

SOM led the overall architecture and interior design, but the art team determined the artworks’ schematic and placement. The Department of Archaeology Museums and Heritage and the Museum of Art and Photography are institutional partners. Together, these roles connect design, commissioning, artistic practice, and cultural knowledge while keeping art integrated with airport operations.

Terminal 2 emphasizes Karnataka’s heritage because an airport is often a visitor’s first or last impression of a destination. Local art, crafts, architecture, materials, stories, and cultural references can give travellers an authentic sense of place. They can also help local residents feel pride in their region. The airport therefore acts as a cultural gateway, not only a transport facility.

The second theme is the Naurasa, or nine emotions, from Bharata’s Natyashastra. This gives the programme a framework for creating varied emotional experiences. Art can welcome, calm, inspire, surprise, or connect with passengers as they move through different spaces. Festival programming adds live music, dance, traditional crafts, games, and culinary experiences.

These themes support the airport’s wider design ambition. Art and culture were conceived as one of four design pillars, alongside Terminal in a Garden, Sustainability, and Technology. By combining regional identity with emotional storytelling, the programme makes the passenger journey more immersive and helps Terminal 2 function as a dynamic, living museum.

Human-centred design means planning spaces around people’s needs, behaviour, comfort, and ability to understand what to do next. In an airport, this includes intuitive layouts, clear wayfinding, accessible signage, and information that supports decisions. The goal is to reduce confusion during queues, transfers, searches, and long waits. The article presents these features as ways to ease navigation.

Biophilic design means using connections to nature in built environments. Examples include greenery, daylight, natural materials, flowing water, and calming colours. Terminal 2 combines these elements with garden-themed architecture and immersive installations. These features can soften the intensity of crowded, busy spaces and create a calmer atmosphere for passengers.

Together, the approaches support both movement and wellbeing. Clear signs help people find their way, while natural features and art make waiting less stressful. Terminal 2’s displays can also suggest installations according to available time. In complex public spaces, this balance matters: design should enrich experience without distracting from essential information.