Carrie

by Sofya Beloded

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

Sofya Beloded is a Russian-born artist whose life of movement began at age 14, when she left her small southern hometown to study abroad with a single 23-kilogram suitcase. Since then, she has viewed “home” not as a fixed place but as a temporary base between journeys, with art remaining her most reliable constant. Sofya completed her first formal training in academic art in her hometown, studying classical still-life and figure techniques rooted in old-master traditions. She later expanded into contemporary practices at the British Higher School of Art and Design in Moscow. Now at the University of Alberta, she combines art, design, and history, exploring themes of globalization, immigration, and the role of media in connecting diverse communities. Her work draws deeply from her experiences of displacement, cultural transition, and independence. After moving to Canada at 18 as an international student, art became both her refuge and her voice. Years of committed studio practice shaped her technical skill, while sharing her work publicly—inviting critique and dialogue—remains one of the most challenging and transformative aspects of her artistic journey.

Beloded grew up surrounded by stories—crime dramas on Russian TV, DVDs from around the world, and the American series she watched obsessively in high school. These narratives shaped her imagination, allowing her to escape into worlds of detectives, criminals, time travelers, and, most memorably, Carrie Bradshaw. Carrie became a figure she observed closely, convinced that adulthood would mean extravagant heels and perpetual rushing. Her painting Carrie pays homage to that formative character. Rendered in a naïve, primitivist style influenced by early 20th-century expressionism, the work simplifies form and detail to avoid distraction or layered interpretation. Flat, direct, and unapologetically simple, Carrie exists as a quiet tribute—an image preserved because she mattered.