Kay Rufai

He/him

Photographer, poet, filmmaker, author and mental health researcher

Kay is a Photographer, Poet, Filmmaker, Author, Mental Health researcher and founder of the internationally acclaimed S.M.I.L.E-ing Boys projects. He has spent the past three years exploring the intersection between culture, masculinity, identity, racial emancipation, mental health and community cohesion through art, photography, educational workshops and public events. A great deal of his work has directly engaged diverse communities, minority, refugee and displaced groups of people as well as collaboratively creating bodies of work with them. Kay has received numerous funding and support for his S.M.I.L.E-ing Boys project which is a public health researched photo-documentary project that explores the impact of smiling on improving well-being for black boys, violence reduction and as a tool to challenge negative stereotypes of this demographic in the society. He has received numerous accolades for his research led series of workshops and exhibitions across the country. In 2016 Kay Rufai delivered a month long critically acclaimed Photography and Poetry exhibition in London as well as a published book called T.R.I.B.E.​