Kait Rairden
Currently, a Chicago-based photographer and writer whose practice centers on portrait work, and the relationship between image and text. My projects touch on themes of home, identity, transitions, and grief, with particular attention to how we hold each other and ourselves through periods of change.
Kait graduated with honors from Columbia College Chicago May 2016. She received a Photography BA with a concentration in Fine Art. Her work is known to use a combination of mediums and processes, landscapes, and portraits to illustrate a sense of empathy for the subjects pictured.
Kait is a co-founder of Star Grapefruits Art Club, a mail order subscription service that aims to create and share physical art that focuses on the different seasons of life.
Most recent examples of work are The Pursuit of Grace, a zine examining life at 31 and so this is the new year, a zine exploring themes of opportunity and change.
In May 2026, she finished a residency at Chateau d'Orquevaux Artists & Writers Residency where she worked on the planning and prototyping on a new project, The Parts, which explores the idea of Internal Family Systems through writing, photography and pastels. Kait is currently developing this project as a full solo show to feature multiple sculptural pieces.