Thank you, Sir! May I have another? BY MAGGIE KNOWLES

If you are one of the panicked who swear the end is near because Ms. Jackson’s boob got a shot at prime-time fame, skip this exhibit. If you are not only glad you TiVo-ed the moment, but also want to punish the naughty diva via flogging for flaunting that pesky little tit, dust off your leather mask and head to Barbara Nitke’s "Kiss of Fire: A Romantic View of S&M" at Radiant Light Gallery through April 17.

Let me be the first to say this: about bloody time. Sure Portland cites herself as a blooming art Mecca, but our fair city is a little lame in the controversial arena. Thankfully, this show is bound to get some people’s panties in a bunch, barbed wire or otherwise.

Shock, however, is not photographer Barbara Nitke’s aim. While she makes her creative living documenting couples in the midst of sado-masochistic acts, she looks beyond the whips and penises inoculated with hypodermic needles to capture the trust and love (and painkillers) it takes to enter into one of these relationships. And while Nikte’s trained eye zooms in on the flowery romance, it will take the viewer time to see the adoration in Master’s eye as he whips Slave.

That said, who are we to say what constitutes romantic love? The majority of society has the typical running-to-each-other-in-the-pasture ideals, but how is that different from the love Neville feels as his strong hands wrap tightly around Sarah’s eager neck? Well, for one, the Communications Decency Act has a say . . . a strong one. (Thanks, Herr Bush) Since it is a felony to put "obscene" material on the Internet, Nitke has been fighting to keep her Web site up, which is tough because she doesn’t consider her work obscene. Rather, she claims to capture the human side of what many consider acts going severely against the accepted cultural grain.

And the more you study her photographs, the more that human quality becomes apparent. There is tenderness in her work. The best example of this is "Madame and Mine." An orchid of a woman gazes down at her lover, her raven hair cascades along his face; her elegant hand caresses his cheek. His reclined profile relaxes into her touch; half-closed eyes are mesmerized with affection. You hardly notice the leather strap keeping his mouth shut or the metal collar about his neck.

But that "sweet" scene is in the minority. Most of Nitke’s photos are akin to flossing when your gums are bleeding; it’s disturbing but for some reason you can’t stop.

Her series documenting the master/slave relationship between gay couple Gary and Wynn causes the stomach to clench a bit. Wynn is not allowed to wear clothing in the home, must address Gary as "sir," and is not allowed on the furniture or bed (and we complain because our partners never send flowers). Their interaction, based highly on pain, includes Wynn being shackled and then repeatedly whipped. Barbed wire tattoos embrace his body and huge metal fixtures hang from his penis.

In the series of Piper and MacKenzie, the female dons a bit and reigns while her man rides her around like a pony. The final picture, "Happily Ever After," depicts her pulling a rickshaw-type vehicle, passenger in tow.

Remember that scene from Pulp Fiction when they bring out The Gimp? Here I am thinking that no one would ever squeeze themselves into a leather body cast, but Nitke proves me wrong. Jack is not only wearing the Gimp’s outfit, but is then chained in a hammock and hung from the ceiling. I am claustrophobic just looking.

Strictly from a photographic point of view, Nitke is quite talented. The special effects, lighting, and angles are professional and artistic. She is respected enough in the field to be the current president of the Camera Club of New York. Her photography career began while her first husband was making pornographic movies; she took publicity photos. Then, she began to capture the real taste of the industry — the actors between takes, bored and hating each other. That led to finding her passion of setting up her studio in the bedrooms, chambers, and dungeons of those who practice S&M.

And that lead to Nitke and the National Coalition of Sexual Freedom filing a lawsuit against Attorney General Ashcroft and the US government. The CDA states that if work is considered obscene by "local community standards" then the work could be banned from the ’Net. Well, how vague is that? "Community" is not defined, leaving Chelsea on par with Bible Belt USA — and you know who is more likely to have a problem with her stuff.

One likes to think that Portland is a place with a young mind, but as I showed people her work, the reactions were surprising. My young friends were the ones who bent over in ghost pain at "Play Piercing," where an eight-months-pregnant woman has stuck hypodermic needles in her stomach and breasts. My older friends bent in to study the play of light on the masked and chained maid, who waits expectantly for her master in "Zoe."

Yet, love is love is love. Regardless of the form in which it comes. The couples Nitke documents have a deep understanding of trust and intimacy, which is lovely if you can look past the physical violence.

Maggie Knowles can be reached at margaretknowles@yahoo.com

"Kiss of Fire" shows at Radiant Light Gallery, in Portland, through April 17. Call (207) 252-7258.