Allow me to introduce you to this queen: Dattie Capelli.
We met in the bustling streets of Lavapiés in Madrid. I recognised his accent immediately—”South African!”—and we became friends just as quickly, eventually collaborating on numerous music projects.
Dattie is a talented, eloquent, and sensual artist. While working on his debut EP “SERUMA”, I heard him say in his iconic, sultry voice: “I think that is my goal as an artist—to be as true as nature.”
The photography projects we created together were not as prolific as our musical collaborations, but they were meaningful. The images shown here come from one of our most intimate projects together: my attempt to capture Dattie’s inner spirit.
When I capture images, I try to be intentional—especially when I am working with fellow artists. I want my work to capture their deepest essence.
For Dattie, I would like my photography to fulfill his artistic ambitions: to be as true as nature.
Rui Mascarenhas is a communications agent by trade; as an artist he is a mosaic of emotional expressions defined by spoken word poetry, music, performance, design, and photography. He draws his experiences and influences from being Mozambican-born while floating through crowds in places like Uruguay, Spain, Tanzania, and the USA.