Kaiden Alford (they/he) is a queer, non-binary artist raised on the ancestral lands of the Kwikwetlem Nation (Coquitlam, BC). They hold a Fine Arts Diploma from Langara College and a BFA from Emily Carr University, and are a recipient of the Dogwood Excellence in Fine Arts Award. Alford was also a top 9 finalist in the Portrait Artists of BC competition in 2021/2022.

Community-building is central to their practice. Through queer and trans visibility, Alford fosters resilience, compassion, and the normalization of diverse ways of being. Their work documents personal experiences as acts of connection, care, and preservation.

Since relocating to the Fraser Valley in 2023, Kaiden has collaborated with the Abbotsford Arts Council, completed a mural through the CITI/Seen mentorship at The Reach Gallery Museum, and contributed to the Chilliwack Mural Festival. They recently completed the Art Start-Up Challenge and have returned to their studio practice at the Abby Artist Collective. Currently Kaiden is working towards his next exhibition at the Chilliwack Museum and Archives titled 'We Have Always Been Here' for 2027.  

 

  I create figurative paintings that reclaim the traditions of the western art canon through depicting stories of lived queer experience. Beginning with quick sketchbook thumbnails, I document observed scenes and reimagine them through a few compositional strategies. Selected works then develop into color studies, then underpaintings, before being realized into oils on canvas. Oscillating between expressionism, impressionism, and realism, I am informed by influences such as Kent Monkman, Egon Schiele, and Alice Neel. I aim to convey accuracy and intrigue that is both visceral and solicitously compassionate. 

Benevolence and curiosity are central to my practice, alongside an ongoing exploration of queer history and of preservation. My work affirms that we have always been here. Themes of tenderness, resilience, and intersectionality within the 2SLGBTQ+ community shape my imagery. 

Sharing personal experiences is inherently vulnerable. Within that intimacy, I aim to foster empathy and open dialogue while reflecting the fluid, evolving nature of identity beyond the binary. Through expanding themes of reclamation, my work seeks to cultivate hope, acceptance, and the normalization of diverse ways of being.

Starting from my own lived experience as a trans and nonbinary artist, my previous work reflected on my early medical transition with a series of self-portraits. That series became my debut solo exhibition ‘Cracking The Egg’. From that point forward I’ve begun strategizing how to give back to and engage with the community around me. I am driven to use my artwork as a tool for engaging the public discourse around issues of queerness and transness. I am also fascinated by the tension between honoring and subverting traditions.