Rafael Arturo before growing passionately into poetry had a strong aspirations to become a filmmaker, coming across a small black hand bag sitting next to comforters, bathing towels, nail kits, cleaning supplies, curtain drapes and wash cloths in the closet next to his room, where at the time he lived in Franklin Field Housing Projects with his mother. Inside that bag was a small handheld camcorder his mother used to record home video, Arturo began to experiment, this was around 8th grade (2011-2012).
The admiration for visual arts was more profound during that time for Arturo, as he would grow into a visual artist during his high school years experimenting with painting, videography and photography. From 2013 - 2016, Arturo focused on documentary productions compiling works that would unfold stories and moments throughout the Boston Music & Fashion scene, stamping his brand as "Black Image", where fashion, arts, music, sports and Spirituality integrated.
2017 to 2019, Arturo leaned into fashion photography using digital and film, gaining inspiration from Helmut Newton (one of the great Vogue photographers from Germany), learning that the structure to fashion photography is very identical to producing a movie. Writing out the editorial treatment, which encapsulates the idea from start to finish, solidifying exterior or interior details as it pertains the setting, time of day and the mood. Establishing characters and character wardrobes, character choreography is like character dialogue. Rafael Arturo would write 2-3 editorial treatments a day and would dedicate most of his free time to producing this fashion editorial to build his portfolio as a fashion photographer.
Amidst the journey of fashion photography, 2019-2023 writing scripts became more of a focus leading to the writing and production of his first play "Luther Rose" which took place at a dance studio in Cambridge, MA in 2019. Highlighted and advertised by the Boston Magazine as an event to look forward to, Rafael found a deeper love for writing more than just scripts, as he began to write essays and memoirs and poems. As his early writing work found influences of the Black Power Movement, Nation of Islam, Indigenous History, African Spirituality, Grief, Confidence and Revolution. Writing and Visuals took turns in the spotlight as both worlds found their feet covered in flowers, performing all over the city and exhibiting photographs all over the city of Boston, in New York and United Kingdom.
2024, Poetry took the backseat as Rafael decided to actively focus on photography for a year straight with little to no time for any poetry. Exercising his imagination for creating characters that would come to life for his fashion editorials to exhibit and display in Art Galleries. With his work gaining a lot of attention, Arturo began taking on client work and providing his services as a photographer to bring other people's visions to life. Sighting the fruition of laboring as a popular photographer, Arturo understood the luxury of his services but felt the need to also produce his own artistic endeavors. Fearing that losing clients will pull people away from supporting his individual work, Arturo faced his integrity and made it publicly known that he is an artist, and he will only work with those who understand that, treat him as such and recognize the work for what it truly is. After this declaration, in 2025 Arturo worked on an exhibition titled "Women In Suits", referencing self empowerment and individuality.
Poetry Performance
