Svetlana Kornilova (b. 1981) is a painter working in contemporary symbolic realism. Based in London since 2022, her oil on canvas practice encompasses portraits and multi-figure compositions exploring human presence, psychological transitions and liminal spaces. Kornilova graduated from the Stroganov Moscow State University of Art and Industry, Department of Monumental and Decorative Painting, and continued her studies at the Repin Institute of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture in St Petersburg.

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Kornilova’s practice explores childhood, memory, and the emotional complexity of modern life. Her work is rooted in figurative storytelling, where imagined worlds sit alongside psychological realism, creating narratives that speak simultaneously to children and adults. Her paintings are distinguished by their quiet intensity and symbolic detail.

Drawing on personal experience and universal archetypes, she examines themes of choice, innocence, resilience, and the fleeting nature of existence. Her visual language is poetic yet disciplined, combining technical precision with a deeply emotional undercurrent. Central to Kornilova’s artistic ethos is a seriousness of purpose shaped early in life by her mother, an influence she often describes as both grounding and formative. This sense of responsibility toward craft and meaning runs through her work, lending it a quiet authority and emotional depth.

She has exhibited widely across the UK and internationally, with exhibitions including Mall Galleries, London, the Society of Women Artists, the Royal Society of British Artists, and the Royal Institute of Oil Painters. Her work has also been shown at the Bath Society of Artists (2025), and the London Art Biennale (2021).

In 2024, Kornilova won the Art Competition commemorating the 70th anniversary of the Friends of Dulwich Picture Gallery. In 2026, she was selected for the 9th Chianciano Biennale in Italy. A member of the Society of Women Artists, she is a multiple prize-winner and has participated in major curated exhibitions including Visual Arts Scotland at Dalkeith Palace.