Jim Chuchu (born 7 August 1982) is a Kenyan film director, photographer, singer-songwriter and visual artist. He first came to attention as a member of Kenyan music group Just a Band and subsequently as director of Kenyan LGBT film '' Stories of Our Lives''.
Career
After leaving college in 2006, where he studied telecommunications, Chuchu began his career as a graphic designer, working in advertising. He quit his job to become a freelance graphic designer in late 2006.Interview with Jim Chuchu . ''African Digital Art'', November 16, 2014.
2006–2012: Early career
In 2008, Chuchu co-founded Just a Band together with fellow members Bill "Blinky" Sellanga and Dan Muli, whom he had met while studying at the
Kenyatta University
Kenyatta University (KU) is a public university with its main campus in Nairobi, Kenya. It acquired the status of university in 1985, being the third university after University of Nairobi (1970) and Moi University (1984). As of October 2014, it ...
.Daily Nation, Lifestyle Magazine, 22 November 2008 More than Just a Band /ref> Jim performed multiple duties in the band, including co-producing the band's first three studio albums, '' Scratch to Reveal'', '' 82'' and ''Sorry for the Delay'', creating graphic art for the band and directing many of the band's videos – including "Ha-He" which spawned viral hit
Makmende
Makmende is a fictional Kenyan superhero character which has enjoyed a popular resurgence after an adaptation by Kenya's musical group Just a Band in the music video for their song ''Ha-He'' on their second album, '' ''82' (2009). The video b ...
, causing the video to be subsequently described as Kenya's first viral internet meme by the Wall Street Journal, CNN and Fast Company.
In 2012, Chuchu co-founded
The Nest Collective
The Nest Collective is a Kenyan artist collective. They are best known for their work in film and television, including the film '' Stories of Our Lives''Nairobi
Nairobi is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Kenya. The city lies in the south-central part of Kenya, at an elevation of . The name is derived from the Maasai language, Maasai phrase , which translates to 'place of cool waters', a ...
.
In March 2013, Chuchu produced and released ''Imaginary Chains'' as pseudonymous act ''Adeiyu''. One of the EP singles – ''Hollow'' – was featured in the Mercedes Benz Mixed Tape 55. He followed this EP by releasing the single ''You Can't Break Her Heart'' in September 2013.Get to Know: Kenyan Fantasy Folk Duo Adeiyu . ''AfriPOP!'', November 16, 2014.
In October 2013, Just A Band announced that Chuchu had left the band to pursue his solo projects. Following his exit, Chuchu then directed his first short film ''Homecoming'' as part of the African Metropolis project, which premiered at the 2013
Durban International Film Festival
The Durban International Film Festival (DIFF) is an annual film festival that takes place in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal province, South Africa. It was founded in 1979 by Teddy Sarkin and Ros Sarkin. Presented by Centre for Creative Arts at the Univ ...
, then went on to screen at the 2013
Toronto International Film Festival
The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF, often stylized as tiff) is one of the most prestigious and largest publicly attended film festivals in the world. Founded in 1976, the festival takes place every year in early September. The organi ...
, and the
International Film Festival Rotterdam
International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR) is an annual film festival held at the end of January in various locations in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, focused on independent and experimental films. The inaugural festival took place in June 1972, ...
,
Santa Barbara International Film Festival
The Santa Barbara International Film Festival (SBIFF) is an eleven-day film festival held in Santa Barbara, California in February annually, since 1986. The festival screens over 200 feature films and shorts from different countries and regions. ...
Seattle International Film Festival
The Seattle International Film Festival (SIFF) is a film festival held annually in Seattle, Washington, United States, since 1976. It usually takes place in late May and/or early June. It is one of the largest festivals in the world, and feature ...
in 2014.
In April 2014, Chuchu's photography series titled ''Pagans'' was featured in the 2014 edition of Dak’Art, the 11th Biennale of Contemporary African Art, as part of the ''Precarious Imaging: Visibility and Media Surrounding African Queerness'' exhibition in Dakar, Senegal. The show was cancelled a day after its opening by Senegalese authorities, who ruled that future exhibitions addressing the issue of homosexuality must be closed or canceled.
2014: Stories of Our Lives
In September 2014, Chuchu released his first feature film, '' Stories of Our Lives'', an anthology of five short films dramatizing true stories of LGBT life in Kenya which he directed as part of
Variety
Variety may refer to:
Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats
* Variety (radio)
* Variety show, in theater and television
Films
* ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont
* ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...
'', September 5, 2014. The film premiered at the 2014
Toronto International Film Festival
The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF, often stylized as tiff) is one of the most prestigious and largest publicly attended film festivals in the world. Founded in 1976, the festival takes place every year in early September. The organi ...
, where it originally ran without credits due to the collective's concerns about the film's reception in Kenya, where homosexuality is illegal. Following the premiere, Chuchu and fellow Nest Collective members George Gachara and Njoki Ngumi opted to reveal their names at the screening and in an interview with Toronto's LGBT newspaper ''
Xtra!
''Xtra Magazine'' (formerly ''DailyXtra'' and ''Xtra!'') is an LGBTQ-focused digital publication and former print newspaper published by Pink Triangle Press in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The publication is a continuation of the company's former p ...
''. The soundtrack to the film, for which Chuchu produced and performed four songs, was released in late September as a free download.‘Stories Of Our Lives,’ An Anthology Film About Queer Life In Kenya . ''Okayafrica'', November 16, 2014.
2014: ''Pagans''
''Pagans'' is a photographic series created by Chuchu that seeks to " econstructfuture-past anonymous African deities, their devotees and forgotten religious rites." One untitled work from 2014 depicts "a being with lustrous skin and sculpted muscles holooks upwards as fire and feathers emerge from his face." To create the pieces, Chuchu took black and white photographs of individuals, drew and painted additional elements on them, then scanned and digitally altered them.
Several photographs from ''Pagans'' were displayed at the exhibition "Precarious Imaging: Visibility and Media Surrounding African Queerness" as part of the 11th Dakar Biennial. The exhibition was one of the first on the African continent to focus on homosexuality. The exhibition was shut down prematurely by the Senegalese government after Muslim fundamentalists who oppose homosexuality in Senegal vandalized the exhibition gallery.
* 2013: Just a Band – ''Matatizo'' (co-director)
* 2011: Just a Band – ''Huff and Puff'' (co-director)
* 2011: Just a Band – ''Away''
* 2010: Just a Band – '' Ha-He!''
* 2009: Just a Band – ''Usinibore''
* 2009: Stan – ''Wangeci''
* 2009: Just a Band – ''If I Could''
* 2009: Just a Band – ''Highway''
* 2008: Just a Band – ''Hey!''
* 2008: Just a Band – ''Fly''
* 2008: Manjeru – ''Lalalalala''
* 2008: Atemi – ''Speechless''
* 2008: Just a Band – ''Iwinyo Piny''
* 2008: Mena – ''Maisha''
Group exhibitions
Jim's photography and video works have been exhibited in the following group exhibitions:
* 2014: "Afropean Mimicry and Mockery", Künstlerhaus Mousonturm, Frankfurt.
* 2014: "Shifting Africa", Mediations Biennale Poznan, Poland.
* 2014: "Precarious Imaging", Raw Center for Art, Knowledge and Society, Dakar.
* 2014: "Future Reflexions: Five Positions of Contemporary African Art", Glasgow
* 2011: "Kudishnyao!" (Just A Band), Rush Arts Gallery (New York) and Goethe-Institut Nairobi
* 2010: "Mwangalio Tofauti: Nine Photographers from Kenya", Nairobi Gallery
* 2009: "TRNSMSSN:" (Just A Band), Goethe-Institut Nairobi
* 2009: "Amnesia": Nairobi National Museum.
* 2008: "24: Nairobi – Walkers and Workers", Goethe-Institut, Nairobi.
Discography
Studio albums
* 2012: ''Sorry for the Delay''
* 2010: '' 82''
* 2008: '' Scratch to Reveal''
EPs and singles
* 2014: ''Stories of Our Lives: Music from and Inspired by the Film'' (EP)
* 2014 Mayonde – "Isikuti Love" (Single)
* 2014 Jarel – "The Plus Minus Collection" (EP)
* 2013: Adeiyu – "You Can't Break Her Heart" (Single)
* 2013: Various Artists – ''The NEST Presents: Legacy'' (Compilation EP)
* 2013: Adeiyu – ''Imaginary Chains'' (EP)
Mixtapes and remix albums
* 2011: The Just A Band Boxing Day Special
* 2011: Kudish: The Sound of Soup
Books
* ''Iwalewa: Four Views into Contemporary Africa''. Iwalewa Haus, Bayreuth (2013). .
* ''Mwangalio Tofauti" – Nine Photographers from Kenya''. Contact Zones NRB, Nairobi (2012).
* ''24: Nairobi''. Kwani Trust, Nairobi (2010). .