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May 2026 – Award-winning British-Nigerian artist Kay Rufai will debut a major new photography exhibition in Rio de Janeiro this month challenging harmful stereotypes surrounding Black boyhood by centering joy, care, and humanity.
Premiering on 29 May at the inaugural Boys & Men Festival in Rio, S.M.I.L.E-ing Boys in Maré features striking portraits of young Black boys and men from Rio’s Maré favela complex smiling, laughing, and sharing moments of connection, images rarely represented in dominant narratives surrounding favela communities.
The exhibition forms part of the inaugural MenCare Changemaker Summit 2026, a four-day global convening focused on gender equality, caring masculinities, and violence prevention taking place in Rio de Janeiro from 27–30 May.
Developed in collaboration with Brazilian artists Math de Araújo and Diego Reis, the project placed cameras directly into the hands of young Black boys and men from Maré, allowing them to document their own lives, friendships, creativity, and communities on their own terms.
“S.M.I.L.E-ing Boys in Maré exists in direct opposition to narratives of violence and dehumanisation,” Rufai said. “This work asks what happens when Black boys are centred not through trauma, but through their humanity.”
A global project arrives in Brazil
S.M.I.L.E-ing Boys is an internationally recognised artistic initiative created by Rufai more than a decade ago, with previous exhibitions across London and Los Angeles. The Brazil edition marks the first time the project has been developed in Latin America.
The title S.M.I.L.E stands for Send Me Inspiring Loving Energy – a philosophy that challenges deficit-based portrayals of Black boys and instead foregrounds joy, vulnerability, imagination, and care.
For several weeks in 2025, Rufai and collaborators worked with twenty Black boys and young men aged 13–18 from Maré through photography workshops, storytelling sessions, poetry, and reflection exercises.
The project unfolded in the aftermath of one of the deadliest police operations in Rio’s history, which deeply affected many of the young participants and surrounding communities.
Organizers say the exhibition offers an intentional interruption to cycles of fear, surveillance, and dehumanization often attached to Black communities globally.
“In Maré, despite the realities these young people are navigating, I encountered tenderness, humor, imagination, care and deep joy,” Rufai said. “Smiling, in this context, becomes far more than expression – it becomes resistance.”
Boys & Men Festival
The exhibition will premiere during the Boys & Men Festival, a free one-day public event featuring art, conversation, performance, workshops, and live music exploring masculinity, care, and solutions to gender-based violence.
Presented by Equimundo and WOW – Women of the World, the festival takes place across Museu de Arte do Rio and Museu do Amanhã on 29 May and forms part of the wider MenCare Changemaker Summit, created in partnership with Instituto Mapear and Instituto PapodeHomem.
The summit will bring together global leaders, activists, artists, researchers, and policymakers to explore practical solutions for advancing gender equality and promoting caring masculinities worldwide.
About Kay Rufai
Kay Rufai is an internationally acclaimed photographer, filmmaker, poet, researcher, and founder of the S.M.I.L.E-ing Boys project. His work explores masculinity, identity, mental health, youth violence, and community healing through participatory art and storytelling.
His work has been exhibited at the Barbican Centre, London City Hall, Battersea Arts Centre, and other major cultural institutions, and has been featured by the BBC, The Guardian, and HuffPost.
🎟 S.M.I.L.E-ing Boys in Maré will be free and open to the public on 29 May in Praça Mauá, Rio de Janeiro.
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