A KwaZulu-Natal north coast matric pupil, whose art is at the centre of a social media outcry for being blasphemous, on Wednesday said the sketches and sculptures were a far cry from the "satanic panic" some people claimed it to be.

The Grantleigh School pupil said he had to release a statement explaining the rationales behind each piece due to the "magnitude of the resultant controversy" after his matric art exhibition was "leaked" without his permission.

The pupil's artwork includes sculptures of heads with horns, paper maché using bible pages and paintings which reference The Last Supper and The Creation of Adam. Some of the paintings use a character who is similar to Ronald McDonald.