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Charlie Pi paints beautiful black men in a romantic and evocative style. Ahead of his first exhibition in the capital, at St Pancras Church Crypt, the Deptford-based artist talks about the paintings which will make up the collection and what has influenced them.

It is fantastic, such an opportunity for me. I've shown a lot of work in south London at Lewisham Arthouse, which is a beautiful space but it is just a white box.

The crypt at St Pancras is, well, a crypt. It's like a maze with tunnels and little alcoves. There's no ambient light, because it's underground, and it's just spot-lit, so you discover the artworks, they just glow ominously in these little dark corners.

My work tends to be very baroque and ornamental, with opulent colours which are very rich. They also have a spiritual nature, especially because of the baroque themes and they tend to come across as quite spiritual.

I think some inspiration for my work goes back to a Catholic childhood. Catholic children are given little cards on saints' days, with pictures of the saint to put in your prayer book. A bit like Pokemon cards, I suppose.

They were always very intense and beautiful with halos and gold bits. Some would show martyrdom, like Saint Sebastian for example. They were very dramatic. I think that's where a lot of my work comes from, taking that opulence and then adding an adult sexuality to it.

I paint beautiful men but in such a way it's not just about being a sex object.

It's about this spiritual thing as well, which I wasn't aware of until I started thinking about it really.

For my first exhibition, I was very worried people would come in on Lewisham Way at Lewisham Arthouse and say eww it's all naked black men' and not be able to deal with anything else. But I was having black men come in and say it's fabulous and so good to see beautiful pictures of black men'.

I remember a middle aged man, kind of butch looking, and he came in with his little boy. I thought oh my god, please don't'. I thought he was going to get upset but he came out and said those are absolutely beautiful, I know there's something else going on and I'm not going to discuss that with the boy, but they are beautiful.

Eventually I became more aware that spirituality was coming through, despite the fact I was just painting my personal obsession and desire. But I was giving them a lot more than you get in a pin-up, hopefully.

So having the opportunity to exhibit in a church, is marvellous.

It's great for me, as a Deptford artist, to show a lot of work in central London. It's a prime opportunity for me to get people to see my work.

I'm showing 50 new paintings and a few old ones as well. I wanted to see what they look like in the space, I can't resist the opportunity.

The crypt has inspired my work too. When I was offered the venue and initially, I was thinking of having a retrospective of all my paintings.

I spoke to the gallery space and asked if they had any problems with my work, which they didn't. I was worried about the mythological stories I tell, because some Christian organisations are a bit uncomfortable with other mythologies. That worries me more than the sexual side of my paintings.

I studied psychoanalysis and had to study Greek myths a lot. The Oedipal Complex and Narcissism and stuff like that. Within this there are a lot of stories about masculinity.

I used myths as an excuse to paint men, pretty much in the same way artists have always used mythology to paint nudity.

Myths have always been an excuse for showing nudity. Right back to the Renaissance when it was all about religious iconography, you could still show nudity. If it was a saint you could have him in a loin cloth.

The Victorians as well, they would use Greek mythology. Lots of paintings of Narcissus were an excuse for painting a naked young man leaning across a pool.

So I suppose I just picked up on that. I have used myths as a theme; painting angels and giants, the Promethean myth - a giant who created man out of clay - minotaurs and unicorns.

But when I saw the crypt, I thought I'd try and do it without any mythology and let the space and the models speak for themselves. It's the first time I've ever used live models. I'm still working from photographs, because I can't afford to get them to sit there the whole time. But at least I know the people in the paintings now.

As I'm painting black men, I'm more aware of what I'm doing. I've always tried to avoid the stereotypes; I want to do something different.

I've always like painting on wood rather than canvas. I use domestic wood table tops and things like that. They already have a history and a meaning to them. It's not like a blank canvas. I have that feeling about objects as well.

As I'm painting black men, I'm more aware of what I'm doing. If you think of the stereotypes we're surrounded by, you have to be very aware of what you're putting together. I've always tried to avoid the stereotypes; I want to do something different.

I did an exhibition at Lewisham Library of black musicians which was all about getting away from the idea of them being thugs and gangsters. Ok, the record company want to portray them as macho and sexy because that sells records but they're musicians so they must have a sensitive side to them. They are artists as well and that's quite important to me.

Charlie Pi at St Pancras Church Crypt, London, until April 27.

3:56pm Tuesday 8th April 2008

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