Born in Peterborough in 1997, Rene Matić was one of four artists nominated for last year’s Turner prize and this month the London-based artist, writer and poet won the 2026 Deutsche Börse photography prize. Matić was recognised for their solo exhibition, entitled As Opposed to the Truth, at Berlin’s Center for Contemporary Arts, which explored subjects including queer love and rightwing populism through photography, black dolls collected from charity shops, and flags interrogating colonialism and western political rhetoric, with judges praising their use of “photography in a fluid and experimental way”. An exhibition showcasing work by all four shortlisted artists for the Deutsche prize – also including Jane Evelyn Atwood, Weronika Gęsicka and Amak Mahmoodian – is on at The Photographers’ Gallery, London W1, until 7 June.

La Camionera is a lesbian bar in Hackney, in east London. It started off with a pop-up a couple of years ago: hundreds of people turned up and it shut down the street, because places for lesbians to feel comfortable and have a nice wine are few and far between. They have a beautiful space, with candles and DVDs of The L Word and a really nice art collection. It’s run by my friend Alex Loveless and Clara Solis, and it’s the best place to have some nibbles, natural wine and a catch-up. People go on dates there, or meet their friends, and in the daytime you can have coffee and sit in the garden and read a book. It’s become a real hub for the community. 10/10.

Nnena is one of my favourite artists. We were both nominated for the Turner prize last year, and Nnena won, which is so incredible. She’s a learning-disabled artist, and she’s non-verbal, and the way she creates language through her sculptures and drawings is such a beautiful way of communicating. I think that all artists could learn so much from her. The drawings are really classic: I suppose they’re a kind of abstract expressionism. Her work reminds me of music and rhythm and dancing – she listens to a lot of disco and Abba when she works – and it’s colourful and joyous and there’s all of this emotion tied up into it. She works with an organisation called ActionSpace, who work with learning-disabled artists and help bring her materials: they’re really incredible people.

I went to see this with my friend recently and it was very queer, very fun. I was laughing from start to finish. It’s written by a guy called Cole Escola, and Catherine Tate is in it now. When I went, Mason Alexander Park – fellow non-binary legend – played Mary. They were a joy to watch and the comedic timing was spot on. I couldn’t catch my breath! Mary is definitely the best character – she wants to be a cabaret singer, and at the end there’s a song that’s a mashup of a cabaret situation. It’s just so camp and silly and clever and entertaining: everything you’d want from a play. It’s a bit of a respite from the world.

I normally read James Baldwin’s essays or listen to him speak – this was the first novel of his I read. It’s about interracial relationships: how they work and how they don’t work, and that’s such a huge part of my practice. He talks about how, in interracial relationships, the white partner desperately wants to get rid of the pain that comes from being an oppressed person in this world, and that’s impossible. But it’s lovely to see how love can work through that: if it can help, if it can alleviate. Sometimes it can’t, but the book is really touching, with some beautiful lines. It’s really cleverly written, obviously, because he’s magic.

I have a big record collection, and most of it’s taken up by Prince and Nina. I always come back to Nina when I’m working, because of who she was, and this album specifically has some really incredible tunes on it. I go to this album especially in the mornings – it’s like you’re being sung out of bed. I love the song Turn Me On. Nina’s sexuality was such an important thing to her – and has sometimes been spoken about in a negative context, as have most black women’s sexual explorations – so I love this idea of her wanting to be turned on by somebody and deserving to be turned on. She gave so much to the world, and the world took so much from her. This album takes you on such an emotional rollercoaster. 

Interview by Kathryn Bromwich