By Meghan Power
Dr. Alexander Oriaifo, a member of the Immigrant Council for Arts Innovation (ICAI) and a Calgary-based optometrist with an eye for detail and a natural talent for hyperrealism drawing, was one of several featured artists in 2024. Dr. Oriaifo’s exhibit titled, Contours of Emotion: Reflection on the Human Experience, featured three portraits: “For me, this project was a visual meditation on the invisible weight of the human emotion that presents in so many ways, etched into every wrinkle, gaze, and silence. It was my desire to make the internal visible—honouring the shared vulnerability that defines us all.”
“I see my work, in relation to my community and the wider global collective, offering audiences an interplay of universality and intimacy. That is to say, while emotions are universal, each individual experiences them uniquely. Whatever emotional terrain we each traverse: be it the worn creases of sorrow, the soft shadows of doubt, or the radiant peaks of joy, each drawing is a mirror and a map—a record of what it means to feel, endure, and be human through our life’s experiences.”
Alexander’s work is driven by an obsession with detail, texture, and realism, capturing the intricate beauty of everyday moments and objects. Most recently, he has been working to develop his body of work and artistic practice, so being a part of the Open Spaces program has helped introduce him to a new audience in Calgary and Alberta. “This opportunity came at the right time. I have witnessed the admiration for my works grow astronomically. The opportunity to exhibit, I feel, has allowed me to shift from being viewed through the narrow lens of ‘immigrant artist’.”
For Dr. Oriaifo, the increased exposure has given him greater access to other like-minded creatives, expanding his network of peers in the Calgary and Alberta Arts community. “Also the exposure is helping me to be invited into other exhibitions as well as an increase in collector’s interested in acquiring my work. All of this culminates in generating my confidence to keep doing more and striving to be excellent in what I do.”
More important than the financial support, for Alexander, this opportunity “is an affirmation of my voice as an artist and the value of storytelling through hyperrealism. Each piece I create is a labour of precision and emotion, and with this support, I can continue deepening my exploration of the human experience, capturing the quiet truths that often go unseen.”