Matić, Rene
The work of Rene Matić brings together themes of post-blackness, glitch feminism and subcultural theory. They explore the intersections of their identity, aiming to expose, combat and question power relations and structures within the art world and wider society.
Brown Girl in the Art World III, 2019, foregrounds an ongoing investigation into the pernicious nature of the White gaze. The work focuses on the importance of representing the queer, Black, femme body by highlighting the disproportionate labour artists of colour undertake in comparison to their White peers. The work was filmed on an iPhone X by the artist’s wife, in front of a pub in Skegness. Matić is pictured dancing in slow motion – representing Black and White mixed-raceness as two opposing forces at war within a singular body. Their work often references dance movements that have been birthed through the Black British diaspora, such as northern soul, ska and two-tone, as well as queer dance cultures such as ballroom and vogueing. By moving their body in these ways Matić activates the different, and often contradictory, intersections of their identity – pushing each movement to both abstraction and clarity.
- Artwork Details: running time: 11 minutes 1seconds
- Edition: 2 of 5 + 2 AP
- Material description: HD video with sound
- Credit line: © the artist. Image courtesy of the artist
- Theme:
- Medium: Film and Audio Visual
- Accession number: ACC3/2021