BY GERVAIS MBUNKEU AND AIYANYO "YANY" AIBANGBEE
There is somewhat of a running aphorism thinly veiled as a joke about children of African parents. It is said that in an African household, parents give their children three career choices: doctor, engineer or attorney. Anything short of that is most certain to relegate you to the status of a bald-headed stepchild at the dinner table.
Tayo Kuku Jr who goes by Tayo Jr, a proud Yoruba son of Nigerian parents, is a Civil Engineer by profession, but for as long as he can remember, has always had a burning penchant for photography. His colorful and eclectic style continues to dazzle the tens of thousands of fans who follow him religiously on social media, and has earned him several opportunities to shoot such renown artists as Davido, Wizkid, and Mr. Eazi.
The Washington DC-based artist and Creative Director sat down with the The Tribe's Path's for a sobering interview.
Tell us a little about your encounter with photography, how did that come about?
Photography has always been a big interest of mine. I received my first Polaroid camera as a gift from my grandfather when I was 7 or 8 years old. From then, I've just always had an interest, sort of a curious affinity to photography. It wasn't so much about taking pictures of other people, I was more drawn to photographs from an artistic standpoint, carefully examining the details of every picture I came across. I started out more so with architecture, landscapes and cityscapes before evolving to other genres.
That's interesting, I studied architecture as well.
I am a Civil Engineer, so I've always been fascinated with architecture and buildings, the way they're designed and the way they look, especially skyscrapers.
What's your family's background, have they influenced your creativity at all?
I am from Lagos, I was born in Surulere, and we moved to New Jersey when I was just six years old. I am a Yoruba angel. I can't really say my tribe has directly influenced me, but the Nigerian culture in general has definitely influenced my work. Though I moved to the US at a young age, my parents would never allow me to ever forget where I came from, my culture or my values. I speak Yoruba fluently, and am very much in tune with the culture just as any other young lad in Nigeria would be. From the music to the food, the whole culture has shaped who I am, and those experiences are definitely reflected in my work, through the stories I tell, and some of the narratives I portray.
"The way you dress is the way you are addressed"
Speaking of your work, it seems to speak beyond photography, what else do you love to do apart from photography?
I have played soccer my whole life, so I continue to practice it in my spare time to stay in shape. I also have an affinity to styling, colors and patterns. Growing up I was always told "the way you dress is the way you are addressed. "I wouldn't call myself a fashionista, but fashion and style are two things I have followed closely over the years. They now play a big part in my shoots and overall body of work. The narratives represented in my work come from the experiences I have gone through, and those of the people close to me.
How did you end up taking photos of famous artists such as Wizkid, Mr. Eazi, Davido, and others?
The very first star I ever shot was Mr. Eazi back when I first moved to the DMV area. A friend of mine who was attending UMD at the time was on the council of the African Students Association. It’s a student-run association, my friend gave me a heads up about an upcoming event where Mr. Eazi was to perform. My friend asked if I'd like to shoot the event. I didn’t think twice about it, I didn’t have much going on at the time either. I took some great shots from that event.
My next big shot was with Wizkid, but that opportunity didn’t come until a year and a half after the UMD gig. I got the Wizkid gig through another friend, I met her this past summer and we clicked right away, she’s a cool genuine spirit. She had a connection to Wizkid and hit me up one Friday night, telling me if I could make it to NY the next day, I’d have a chance to do a shoot with Wizkid.
The opportunity with Davido was more of a unique situation. I was in Jersey for my mom’s birthday, but before I left something told me to bring my camera. While I was there, a friend texted me a screenshot of a post from Davido on Instagram, he was looking for a photographer for his set at Made in America in Philly. I didn’t follow him on social media, so I wouldn’t have seen it otherwise. I tagged Davido’s manager in some of my Instagram shots, soon after that they hit me up and told me to come to Philly. I shot his Made in America set, and they added me to the rest of his North American tour. It was all God looking out for me.
"I just feel that most of my work is evocative of my Nigerian roots and Black culture"
There’s a touch of elegance and uniqueness to your photos. Is there a particular style that you typically go for?
I’d say my work almost has a melancholic feel to it. I’m usually trying to portray how I’m feeling at the time, that’s also the way I edit. Some of my shots are more poignant than others, but the underlying theme that is common in my work is to evoke emotions. Most of it, as I’ve been told, has a very moody, melancholic vibe. It’s doesn't mean I’m depressed or anything, I just feel that most of my work is evocative of my Nigerian roots and Black culture. Through my edits I try to bring out the beauty of Black culture, Black faces, and Black people. We are underrepresented in the whole industry. A couple of years ago, a model I shot got featured in a magazine. The editor in chief told me she was the first person of color featured in that magazine. That was quite ridiculous to me that in 2016-2017 there were still publications that haven’t had a Black face in them, when there are so many beautiful Black faces in the world. The underlying goal of every shoot is to bring out the beauty of melanin. I don’t have any issue with other races, I'm simply in love with the skin I'm in and seek to find ways to uplift and promote that.
What should we be expecting next from you, any other projects, galleries, art shows?
I’m working on rounding out this year with a bang so to speak, I have a visual diary coming out soon, but I don’t want to get into more details about it, you’ll know soon. A big goal of mine is to try and do more commercial work, and get into editorial photography for different brands and labels. I would also like to get my work out there and really network. I'll try to get myself where I want to be, and prove my longevity in the whole field. As for galleries, that’s something I’ve always wanted to do, I don’t know if that’s going to be this coming year, but if I had an opportunity to do one it’d be in the DC area or wherever I land. I just want to continue improving, continue creating, and inspiring people.
Thank you so much for sitting down with us, we certainly appreciate it. Best of luck on your future projects, we will keep an eye out for sure.
Thank you for having me.
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Check out more of Tayo's amazing work here: instagram.com/tayojr
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