Kayza DeGraff-Ford

Kayza DeGraff-Ford (b. 1992, Lacombe, AB) is an emerging contemporary painter creating cinematically inspired portraiture, landscape and still-life in Kjipuktuk (Halifax, Nova Scotia). Rarely does an emerging artist demonstrate as much confidence and humour in engaging with the history of the medium as DeGraff-Ford. They produce images of race, gender, folklore and mysticism that they found lacking during their rural upbringing and art education. The results are vibrant, narrative compositions that blend references from literature, film, family and their own personal history.

DeGraff-Ford received their Visual Arts Certificate from Yukon SOVA in 2017 and their BFA from NSCAD University in 2021. They were the recipient of the BMO 1st Art! Award for Yukon Territory in 2017 and the winner of the NSCAD Student Art Award in 2020. DeGraff-Ford has since received grants and awards from Arts Nova Scotia and the Canada Council for the Arts. Their work has been collected by the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia, and they have participated in residencies at the Banff Centre (Banff, AB) and the Centre for Art Tapes (Halifax, NS).