No freaks in this Circus

T Venkanna's art isn't easy to look at. That is exactly why you should see it. Sex, gore, beauty, life — he weaves it all in, with fire

- VIRAJ KHANNA

When asked to describe his work, T Venkanna has said, "Beauty, sex, art... for me there is no separation in these three things." His works often focus on acts of sex imbued with violence. There is tremendous beauty in the works too. It all forces the viewer to think of subjects that are usually swept under the carpet.

It's a brave move. Venkanna turns conventional private moments into vivid public spectacles. In Super-size Me, a large male body replaces the tree trunk adorned with massive eggplants, which seems to shelter naked people. In Neither Here Nor There, multiple figures are engaged in libidinous acts in a forest. In Alligator Adventure, a woman seems to be mating with the reptile. Many of the works display a tussle between pleasure and pain, asserting that they go hand in hand, even if they make the viewer physically uncomfortable.