Svetlana Baibekova
Born in Russia, Svetlana graduated from the Moscow Polygraphic Institute as a printing technology engineer. Fascinated by illustrated parchment and paper manuscripts, she began her career at the Restoration Department of the Imperial Public Library in St. Petersburg. This early work with historical materials laid the foundation for a lifelong engagement with image-making.
Relocating to Canada, Svetlana studied computer animation at the International Academy of Design in Toronto. She went on to work as a 3D graphic artist for Millfilm in London, contributing to major productions including Gladiator and Babe2: Pig in the City, as well as for a Cambridge-based computer game company. After years immersed in digital imagery, she returned to traditional painting, reconnecting with the tactile qualities of brush, pigment, and canvas.
Since permanently settling in Cambridge, Sveltana has been an active member of the Cambridge Drawing Society, exhibiting regularly since 2002. Her traditional works encompass still-lifes, landscapes, skyscapes, seascapes, and studies of water reflections, executed in oil, acrylic, and watercolor.
In addition to representational work, Svetlana explores impressionist and abstract styles. Collage forms another dimension of her practice, where found materials are assembled into textured compositions that evoke new impressions.
Across all mediums, Svetlana seeks to capture harmony in the world—the way small objects echo larger structures, and how natural and manmade forms resonate with one another.