Artist Statement

My practice is an investigation into the quiet surfaces and structural vernacular of the environments we inhabit. Influenced by the deadpan objectivity of the New Topographics and the colour-field observations of photographers like Fred Herzog and Phil Bergerson, I look for the beauty found in the unremarkable—the architectural banal that forms the backdrop of daily life.

My work centres on the texture and lifeblood of the subject, whether it is a weathered storefront in Toronto or the resilient gaze of an individual. I aim to distill these subjects into a series of formal compositions, using a flattened perspective to examine the layers of history, utility, and human presence etched into their surfaces. There is a quiet nostalgia in my images; they serve as a record of transition and a reminder of the persistent connection between people and the places—or systems—they have both navigated.

Whether documenting the shifting façades of a changing city or the environmental portraits of those who have endured, my process remains one of clinical yet empathetic observation. I am interested in the unintended still life and the enduring character of the overlooked, capturing the resonant clarity of subjects that are both common and profoundly significant.

Bio

DW Alexander is an Ottawa-based queer photographer whose practice is informed by a professional background in film, media, and the arts. He holds a BA in Media and Communications from Simon Fraser University and has continued his formal training at the SPAO: Photographic Arts Centre.

His work has been featured in the SPAO Gallery’s juried APEX exhibitions (2024, 2025) and is scheduled for publication in PhotoEd Magazine (March 2026). His current major project, Portraits of Purge Survivors, is supported by an LGBT Purge Fund grant. This environmental portrait series aims to raise awareness of the Canadian federal government's historical purge of 2SLGBTQIA+ individuals and to honour the resilience of those who survived it.

Influenced by the meticulous clarity of Arnaud Maggs and the structural inquiries of Lewis Baltz and Stephen Shore, Alexander’s work is held in private collections and is available as medium or large-sized archival prints designed for contemporary architectural environments.