The goal of Baibakov Art Projects is two-fold: to foster an understanding of global contemporary art in Russia and to support the presence and infiltration of Russian contemporary art in the rest of the world.
Born in Moscow, Maria Baibakova holds a BA summa cum laude in Art History from Barnard College, MA from The Courtauld Institute of Art, and MBA from Harvard Business School.
In 2008, Baibakova founded Baibakov Art Projects in Moscow, New York, and London - an organization that is committed to the support of contemporary art. Initially founded as an exhibition platform in Moscow, Baibakov Art Projects organized nine critically acclaimed exhibitions in Moscow. Through a rigorous program spanning over 40,000 sq ft of exhibition space across two venues, Baibakova helped launch the Red October Chocolate Factory district, home of today’s creative hub in Moscow.
Baibakova actively supports women in the creative industries, including via her role as the founder of the Artemis Council for women artists at the New Museum (New York) and as a member of the Executive Committee of the Association of Women in the Arts (London), as well as part role as a trustee of Barnard College where she established scholarship for women pursuing art history.
Baibakova is an active investor in the art and tech sector, previously serving as Strategic Director and on the Board of Directors of Artspace.com. She is currently an investor in ArtBinder and an adviser to ARTA.
Baibakova was named one of the 100 most influential people in the art world by Art+Auction magazine In 2009 and 2014; “30 Most Influential People in the Art World Under 30 Years Old” by ARTINFO in 2012; and "100 Most Powerful Women in the Art World" by Artnet in 2014.
If anyone is to become Russia’s Peggy Guggenheim, it is Baibakova.
BERKELEY SQUARE HOUSE
BERKELEY SQUARE
LONDON W1J 6BE
UNITED KINGDOM
info@baibakovartprojects.com
Twitter / Instagram: @baibakovart
BAIBAKOV art projects is a private, non-profit institution founded in 2008 by Maria Baibakova as an organization dedicated to the support and sustained development of cultural production. Based in Moscow, the organization’s primary focus is to build a cultural bridge between Russia and the world.
The goal of BAIBAKOV art projects is two-fold: to foster an understanding of global contemporary art in Russia and to support the presence and infiltration of Russian contemporary art in the rest of the world.
BAIBAKOV art projects started as an exhibition platform that expanded to include educational initiatives, a publishing program, a series of commissioned work, and performances. It now functions as a hybrid organization, on the cusp of a kunsthalle and a production fund, pioneering a new model of patronage to promote experimental art and cultural practice in Russia and abroad.
Originally occupying the Red October Chocolate Factory and then a former House of Culture on Paveletskaya Naberezhnaya, BAIBAKOV art projects now operates independently of a fixed location, temporarily outfitting selected sites according to each project.
BAIBAKOV art projects revived a former House of Culture at Paveletskaya Naberezhnaya, refitting it as the venue for Perpetual Battles, an exhibition which examined the different types of violence underlying contemporary society. The exhibition was curated by Maria Baibakova and Kate Sutton along with guest curator Jean-Max Colard; it featured new and site-specific work by: Adel Abdessemed, Saadane Afif, Wilfrid Almendra, Latifa Echakhch, Claire Fontaine, Cyprien Gaillard, Joana Hadjithomas & Khalil Joreige, Cyprien Gaillard, Thomas Hirschhorn, Oscar Tuazon, Ida Tursic & Wilfried Mille, and Raphael Zarka.
Perpetual Battles was presented as part of the Year of France in Russia 2010.
At 24, Maria Baibakova is an icon of entrepeneurial and patrician femininity, a sign of the modern era in Russia.