Matières Fécales: The Art of Provocation

Few artists embody the ethos of provocation more viscerally than Matieres Fecales, the duo comprised of Montreal natives Hannah Rose Dalton and Steven Raj Bhaskaran, whose radical sartorial expressions challenge (or rather provoke) societal norms with a theatricality and intensity rarely seen since the likes of avant-garde icons like Leigh Bowery. Often donning exaggerated, post-gender and post-humanist forms, Dalton and Bhaskaran transmute the body into a sculptural medium, often distorting and deconstructing conventional aesthetics both digitally and irl. Their work uses the abject and the exaggerated to destabilize the conformist practices through which we express ourselves à la quotidienne; revealing the fragile artifice of these constructs. Since the duo’s inception, their work has been celebrated by publications like Vogue and PAPER Magazine and embraced by icons like Lady Gaga, Madonna, Rick Owens, Michèle Lamy, Jean Paul Gaultier and more.

Recently, at Fashion Art Toronto‘s 1664 Fashion Week after-party, Never Conform, hosted by Lignes de Fuite, and sponsored by Liminul and Combo Breaker, Matières Fécales graced the city’s underground scene with an electrifying DJ set and live performance of their latest single ‘Die With You.’ Donning Fecal Matter merch with cybersigilist motifs, Rick Owens Kiss boots, structural outerwear, and their signature editorial makeup with sparse extensions, the duo took a moment with Liminul and photographer Justin Atkins to capture the moments before their appearance.