Acrylic, Soft pastels on Masonite, 2023, 30x35"

Sofya Beloded was born in a small town in southern Russia, where a predictable path awaited her—but her passion for art charted a different course. Leaving home at 14 to study abroad, she has since regarded “home” not as a fixed place, but as a temporary base between journeys, with art as her constant companion. Sofya’s formal training spans classical techniques learned in her hometown to contemporary practices studied in Moscow, and now at the University of Alberta, where she integrates art, design, and history. Her work explores themes of globalization, immigration, and media’s role in connecting diverse cultures. Art has been both her refuge and voice through years of personal upheaval, including her move to Canada as an international student. Her piece Carrie draws from her lifelong love of storytelling inspired by crime dramas and television, paying homage to the character Carrie Bradshaw through a simple yet expressive style reminiscent of early 20th-century expressionism—an intimate tribute to a figure who embodies both nostalgia and identity.