Artist gets cross examined

Method actors immerse themselves in their character for a more authentic portrayal, but there probably aren't many method painters who go to the lengths of Sebastian Horsley. In 1997 he stood in a cage surrounded by great white sharks before he painted them and in 2000 he was nailed to a cross for 20 minutes in the Filipino village of San Pedro Cutud for his series of paintings about Crucifixion.

For the villagers the crucifixion ceremony is an annual event that they believe brings them closer to Christ but for Horsley, a non-believer, it was a more individual journey. 'I was stuck as a painter and stuck as a person,' Horsley explains, 'so it was about transcending the subject but also about stripping away personality and transcending and subverting myself.' The results can be seen in a show of seven paintings along with images by photographer Dennis Morris and a film shot by artist Sarah Lucas (previously shown at the ICA) who both documented the event.

Having already passed out with pain, Horsley fell from the cross, taking the nails with him when the straps holding his arms broke. The Filipinos believed God had wanted to spare his painter's hands but Horsley puts it down to a combination of his weight and bad carpentry. Either way, not one to try at home.
Crucifixion (sponsored by Watson Tresley), from Fri 14 Jun, 1-5 Crucifix Lane, SE1 (020-8980 1033).