Rene Matić Awarded 2026 Deutsche Börse Photography Foundation Prize – Artforum

Rene Matić has been named the winner of the 2026 Deutsche Börse Photography Foundation Prize. The award includes a prize of £30,000 and recognizes the artist’s contribution to contemporary photography.

Matić was selected from a shortlist that included artists Amak Mahmoodian, Weronika Gęsicka, and Jane Evelyn Atwood. The decision was made by a jury chaired by Shoair Mavlian of The Photographers’ Gallery, with members Anne-Marie Beckmann of the Deutsche Börse Photography Foundation, Newsha Tavakolian, Elisa Medde of the Foto Colectania Foundation, and Dr Mark Sealy of the Autograph Gallery.

The prize was awarded based on Matić’s exhibition titled AS OPPOSED TO THE TRUTH, which was on display at CCA Berlin in Germany from November 8, 2024, to February 15, 2025.

The winning exhibition featured a multidisciplinary approach, combining intimate images of chosen family and friends framed in glass with sound pieces, film, and physical objects. Among the items included in the installation was a collection of black dolls sourced from second-hand shops.

Born in Peterborough in 1997, Matić utilizes a style characterized by diaristic, snapshot-like imagery. By integrating these photographs with sculpture and film, the artist explores a concept they describe as rude(ness), which they define as an act of evidencing and honouring the in-between spaces of existence.

In discussing the thematic goals of the Berlin exhibition, Matić explained their artistic focus:

I am interested in the line between blessing and burden. How to bring things to light and dark all at once.

Rene Matić

Shoair Mavlian highlighted the emotional and social resonance of the work, stating that Rene’s deeply-personal work is rooted in community and belonging – and their power both to heal and bring people together.

The Deutsche Börse Photography Foundation Prize win follows other significant industry recognition for Matić, who was nominated for the Turner Prize in 2025.

While the award recognizes the significance of the work, the installation has also faced critical scrutiny. Writing for The Guardian, Charlotte Jansen argued that the technique of mounting snapshots in Perspex was not sufficient to make the images interesting.

Despite this critique, other industry observers have described the images as raw and honest, suggesting that the work serves as a representation of modern Britain on a global stage.

The 2026 prize continues the tradition of the Deutsche Börse Photography Foundation Prize, which was originally established in 1996 to identify and reward artists through dedicated exhibitions.

The installation associated with the win, including the Feelings Wheel series from 2024 to 2025, continues to showcase Matić’s interest in the intersection of personal documentation and sculptural presentation.