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[title]Rene Matić calls it ‘rudeness’; a self-invented genre for a self-invented way of approaching British culture through film and photography. With tons of biographical detail, and a super-confrontational aesthetic, Matić delves into the complex ways West Indian and white working class culture mix and interact in Britain, all while nabbing ideas from the history of northern soul, 2-tone and ska. The result is a harsh, bright, but always tender look at this country and what it has become, a mixture of intimacy and aggression that manages to shock and attract you at the same time.
What would you say your art is about?
‘My practice is concerned with “rude(ness)”, an evidencing and honouring of the in-between. I draw inspiration from dance and music movements such as Northern soul, ska, and 2-tone as a tool to delve into the complex relationship between West Indian and white working-class culture in Britain, whilst privileging queer/ing intimacies, partnerships and pleasure as modes of survival. Ultimately, it is about what saves us, if anything, in the end.’
What inspires you?
‘My biggest influence is love, where it lives where it is lacking.’
What are the challenges of being an artist in London?
‘The challenge is always money and access. It is the same for anyone trying to make a living in this country.’
What one thing could be done to better support young artists in London ?
‘Real CARE.’
What would you do with the Turbine Hall?
‘Turn it into a dance hall.‘
‘My practice is concerned with “rude(ness)”, an evidencing and honouring of the in-between. I draw inspiration from dance and music movements such as Northern soul, ska, and 2-tone as a tool to delve into the complex relationship between West Indian and white working-class culture in Britain, whilst privileging queer/ing intimacies, partnerships and pleasure as modes of survival. Ultimately, it is about what saves us, if anything, in the end.’
What inspires you?
‘My biggest influence is love, where it lives where it is lacking.’
What are the challenges of being an artist in London?
‘The challenge is always money and access. It is the same for anyone trying to make a living in this country.’
What one thing could be done to better support young artists in London ?
‘Real CARE.’
What would you do with the Turbine Hall?
‘Turn it into a dance hall.‘
Martin Clark, director of Camden Art Centre says:
‘Matić’s work exposes, acknowledges and celebrates the complexities and contradictions not just of modern Britain, but of our families, friends, and the relationships and identities we both choose and are born into. There’s an extraordinary intimacy to the films and photographs, but it’s countered with a kind of clarity and truth that avoids sentimentality, easy moralising or trite cliché. A truth that comes not from thinking or reading about these issues, but living in and through them everyday.’
This interview is part of Time Out’s The Future of London Art series. Read more here.