Commissioned and presented by the Walker Art Center, Only the perverse fantasy can still save us is a major evening-length work by Mathew Janczewski that examines the complexities of identity, biology, vulnerability, and transformation. Inspired by Janczewski's experience following a leukemia diagnosis and informed by Matthew Barney's Cremaster cycle, the work explores how creative repression and biologically determined systems shape our understanding of ourselves and one another.

Performed by Dustin Haug, Leslie O'Neill, and Sarah McCullough, the production featured an original score by Joshua Clausen, with rehearsal direction by Laura Selle Virtucio, lighting design by Karin Olson, set design by Lelis Brito, costume design by Jon Montgomery, videography by Flywheel Media, and production photography by Galen Higgins.