Sebastian Horsley
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Sebastian Horsley (born 1962) is a London writer and artist best known for having undergone a voluntary crucifixion. His in-your-face writings often revolve around his dysfunctional family, his drug addictions, sex, and his use of the services of prostitutes.
In August 2000 he travelled to the Philippines to experience a crucifixion, in order to prepare for a series of paintings on the topic. Refusing pain killers, he was nailed to a cross and passed out. The foot rest broke and he almost fell off. A film and photos of the event, as well as his subsequent paintings of crosses, were exhibited in London in 2002.[1]
In an editorial article in The Observer in 2004, he described his preference for sex with prostitutes, writing "What I hate with women generally is the intimacy, the invasion of my innermost space, the slow strangulation of my art." He also stated that he himself had worked as a prostitute for a while. He argued that prostitution should not be legalized, as that would take away part of its thrill.[2]
Horsley ran a monthly column in the Erotic Review from 1998 to 2004. In early 2006, Horsley together with Marion McBride began to run a weekly sex advice column in The Observer. Four months later, after graphic discussions of oral and anal sex had lead to numerous complaints from readers, the column was discontinued.[3]
Horsley, a self-described dandy[4], praised his chosen home of Soho in an article in 2006.[5]
His memoirs titled Dandy in the Underworld (ISBN 1841157546) will appear in September 2007.[6]
[edit] References
- ^ The agony and the ecstasy. The Observer, 26 May 2002
- ^ The brothel creeper., by Sebastian Horsley. The Observer, 19 September 2004
- ^ The Readers' editor on ... a sex column too far., The Observer, May 7, 2006
- ^ Beautiful and damned, New Statesman, 16 October 2006
- ^ In the I of the storm, by Sebastian Horsley. The Drawbridge, issue 2, 2006
- ^ Sebastian Horsley: My brilliant gutter life., The Independent, 26 November 2006
