TIME

Same, Same - is a 2016 diptych by T. Venkanna, in which he paints two versions of the self. Both are naked. Both are lying on their tummy with elbows bent and one hand resting on the cheek. Both are looking outward towards the viewer, with an innocent and non-threatening gaze. The only real visible difference - is that one figure is represented as a drawing in black charcoal on a slightly larger scale, while the other is painted in oil and in a melody of vibrant colors.

In representing two versions of the self, is Venkanna highlighting the presence of an ego and an alter ego? Is he showing the binary - negative and positive qualities contained in every man? Or is one self just the shadow of the other?