RENE MATIĆ

Central to Matić’s practice is an investigation of Britishness and its margins, with a particular focus on how subcultures—such as Northern Soul, Ska, 2-Tone, and punk—create spaces of resistance and intimacy for diasporic and queer identities. Drawing from their own mixed-race heritage (of Irish and St Lucian descent), Matić reclaims and reinterprets these cultural forms, queering historically rigid frameworks of nationalism, masculinity, and whiteness.

Their ongoing photographic series flags for countries that don’t exist but bodies that do has received wide recognition for its intimate documentation of the artist’s chosen family, community, and everyday moments. The work acts as a personal archive that challenges notions of visibility, representation, and institutional history—foregrounding tenderness and collectivity as tools of resilience.

Matić’s solo exhibitions have been held at venues including South London Gallery, Arcadia Missa, and Quench Gallery, and their work is included in major collections such as Tate, the UK Government Art Collection, and the Fondation Louis Vuitton. In 2025, Matić was shortlisted for the Turner Prize, affirming their place as a significant voice within contemporary British art.

Through their multifaceted practice, Rene Matić confronts and reclaims identity on their own terms—celebrating the personal as political, and highlighting overlooked narratives in the broader conversation of art, culture, and society.