Rene Matić, at 29, became the youngest winner of the £30,000 Deutsche Börse Photography Foundation prize, nominated for their solo exhibition "As Opposed to the Truth" at CCA Berlin. A smaller version of that show is now at the Photographers’ Gallery in London. Matić was also the youngest Turner Prize nominee last year. The article critiques Matić's work, praising their 2022 piece "Upon This Rock" for exploring masculinity, fatherhood, and British identity, but dismissing much of their other output—like the snapshot installation "Feelings Wheel"—as immature, mediocre, and reliant on display gimmicks rather than photographic substance.
The review matters because it challenges the narrative around a high-profile, early-career award, questioning whether identity and self-promotion are being valued over artistic maturity and innovation. It argues that Matić’s work, while politically significant, lacks the edge and tension of predecessors like Wolfgang Tillmans and Nan Goldin, and that the prize may signal a shift in photography toward marketing over craft. This raises broader questions about how the art world judges emerging talent and what it rewards.