In this episode, from my second salon titled, Between Two Worlds which took place in January 2026 at Londonβs Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA) and supported by WePresent. The one day salon is an attempt to describe the feeling of existing in two image worlds, the one we think we know, and the new one emerging. We can sense that this new image world operates differently to the one we were socialised inβand yet itβs unclear exactly how. In this session, Gem Fletcher is joined by Rene MatiΔ and Elle PΓ©rez. Together they discuss, What is the work of art today?Β
In an era of rising authoritarianism, the work of art is perhaps more consequential than ever.
How can we use photography to preserve history? Is it possible to create lines of undeniability in an era where collective memory is clouded by constant crisis, and erasure is weaponised? How can photography speak to the ephemeral condition of living? And what role does community play in those ideas and gestures?
Rene MatiΔ
Rene MatiΔ is a London-based artist and writer whose practice spans photography, film, and sculpture, converging in a meeting place they describe as "rude(ness)" - an evidencing and honouring of the in-between. MatiΔ riffs on a documentary, diaristic style of photography, with snapshots of everyday moments and poetic juxtapositions, which are then used to create installations, grouping images to surreptitiously bring out buried tensions and paradoxes. Recent solo exhibitions include Turner Prize 2025, Cartwright Hall Art Gallery, Bradford, UK (2025); Idols Lovers Mothers Friends, Arcadia Missa, London, UK (2025); AS OPPOSED TO THE TRUTH, CCA Berlin, Berlin, DE (2024); Rene MatiΔ/Oscar Murillo JAZZ, Kunsthalle Wien Museumsquartier, Vienna, AT (2024); a girl for the living room, Martin Parr Foundation, Bristol, UK (2023); upon this rock, Kunstverein Gartenhaus, Vienna, AT (2023), upon this rock, South London Gallery, London, UK (2022), among more.
Elle PΓ©rezΒ
Elle PΓ©rezΒ lives and works in New York City. PΓ©rez primarily works in photography and moving image, depicting intimate moments, emotional exchanges, and visceral details within their portraits, landscapes, and films. Recent solo exhibitions include: βDevotions,β Baltimore Museum of Art, Maryland (2023); βHost,β Commonwealth and Council, Los Angeles (2021); βDevotions,β Carnegie Museum of Art, Pittsburgh (2021); βfrom sun to sun,β Public Art Fund, New York (2019) and βDiablo,β MoMA PS1, New York (2018). Their work has been included in group exhibitions at the Whitney Museum of American Art, New York (2023); the Ballroom Marfa, Marfa, Texas (2022); the Renaissance Society, Chicago (2020); Barbican Centre, London (2020); Brooklyn Museum, New York (2019) and the Whitney Museum of American Art, New York (2019); among others. They are currently an Assistant Professor of photography at Yale University. They have previously held appointments as an Assistant Professor of Art, Film, and Visual Studies at Harvard University, and Dean at the Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture. They participated in both the 2022 Venice Biennale and the 2022 New England Triennial. Their solo exhibition, βIntimacies,β is currently on view at MASS MoCA, North Adams, Massachusetts. They were also recently awarded the 2022-23 Rome Prize in the visual arts.
Follow Elle, Rene & Gem on Instagram. If you've enjoyed this episode, PLEASE leave us your feedback in the Apple Podcast store. Thank you for listening to The Messy Truth. We will be back very soon. For all requests, please email hello@gemfletcher.comΒ
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