Artistic Duo Captures the Stuff of Nightmares

Clowns, Illuminati, and medieval carnival masks meet in the midst of these terrifying photographs, choreographed and shot by the Belgian art duo, Mothmeister. The horror-inspired, cult-like masked characters pose next to taxidermy animals to produce the stuff of nightmares. If you weren’t sure what you were afraid of, now you know.

The pair juxtaposes horrific characters holding dead animals in widely open spaces. These open spaces make us feel like there is nowhere to run and nowhere to hide.

The work of Mothmeister is referred to as “anti-selfie,” as the frightening detailed masked characters, costumes, taxidermy, and environments, are the exact opposite of the aesthetics and beauty that are often attempted to achieve in our current culture. The grotesque creatures, stuffed animals, and barren wastelands can be found in the duo’s art book, Weird and Wonderful Post-Mortem Fairy Tales

You can check out some of their work on Instagram.