After Marcel Duchamp's urinal, Piero Manzoni's canned faeces and Tracey Emin's bed, you might have thought shock tactics in the art world had gone about as far as they could.

But the Toilet Gallery in Kingston has stepped into the fray with My Vanilla Life - a controversial series of images taken at the moment of the subjects' orgasm.

They are the work of Kingston photographer Derek Mossop who found his models by placing an advertisement in Time Out magazine two years ago. He said a variety of people responded, from pole dancers to a 76-year-old chorister.

He said the resulting images had an affinity with scenes of religious rapture by Renaissance artists such as Rubens, Titian and Michaelangelo.

"I hope the pictures raise more questions than they answer," said Mr Mossop, a former Kingston College student.

"They have a precedent in classical and religious imagery and aim to pose questions about issues of sexual identity and the nature of human existence.

"I am interested in how we define ourselves. The orgasm is such a powerful force, it is worth exploring, because during a brief moment of ecstasy, the world falls away and the mind is silent."

Each photo has a standard format, capturing the pose and expression of each participant from the chest up, against a black background. Mr Mossop said this gave the sequence the flavour of a semi-scientific experiment, which attempted to freeze a fleeting moment.

He said: "Most photos in magazines are not art, just expensive wallpaper. But I want these photos to open up a debate about whether it is possible to get beyond the surface and hopefully they will make people think."

Mr Mossop recently had an exhibition at central London's National Portrait Gallery.

In Gods Name was a series of photographs portraying post-September 11 America.

The Toilet Gallery, curated by Paul Stafford, director of foundation studies in Art & Design at Kingston University, was opened in October 2003 by seminal British artists, Gilbert & George.

  • The show runs from Friday, April 7, to Friday, April 28, at The Toilet Gallery, 151 Clarence St, Kingston, open Wednesdays to Fridays, 1pm to 6pm, Saturdays, 10am to 6pm and Sundays, 1pm to 5pm. For more information, go to: www.toiletgallery.org