Karnekota Sai is an artist from Telangana, whose practice revolves around the transformation of rural landscapes and agricultural traditions. He is currently pursuing his Masters of Fine Arts at MSU Baroda, having completed his Bachelor’s of Fine Arts at Jawaharlal Nehru Architecture and Fine Arts University, Hyderabad. He has been recognized with the ‘Master of Concours’ Award (2024), the 3rd Cash Award from the Chitramayee State Gallery of Arts (2024) and the Excellence Award from the Hyderabad Art Society (2022).

The piece “Absence of Torso” explores the ongoing struggle with body image and the pressure to conform to unrealistic beauty standards. Drawing inspiration from Auguste Rodin’s Balzac sculpture, the work combines a terracotta limb with a torso constructed from layers of magazines and newspapers. These printed materials, filled with ads that dictate how we should look, form a tangled surface symbolizing the dominance of societal expectations.

Through the work, Karnekota Sai aims to inspire deeper comfort with our authentic selves and challenge the narratives that tell us we’re not enough as we are, encouraging reflection on self-acceptance and the beauty of natural bodies and diverse skin tones.