Faculty of Art
Photography
Meet the Artist
Rafael
Onilla
aka. R.J, Photography
“The world is my canvas. My camera is my paintbrush”

R.J Onilla is a Filipino-Canadian artist based in Mississauga, Canada. A photographer and cinematographer, R.J is pursuing a BFA in Photography and a minor in Integrated Media from OCAD University in Toronto, Canada.---When I was a kid, I used to make my very own vlogs on my old blackberry tablet. I eventually inherited my mothers old Nikon Coolpix camera, and what started as a small childhood activity, turned into a deep love towards visual storytelling, through photography and through the moving image. My work centers around documentation and exploration in both my own life, and in the world around me, in an effort to challenge any preconceived notions or stigmas about topics that relate heavily to me. From single parent households, to toxic trends in social media, to my own personal story as a fatherless child.
OCAD U - Faculty of Art
Integrated Media
Minor Completed, 2025
2026, GradEx 111
OCAD University

Celebrate the work of OCAD U’s class of 2025/2026!