SantiYago Delgado
2025
Visual Arts
His debut in Tallinn was years ago in 2017. Meanwhile he has been to many places, including Los Angeles collaborating with Tom of Finland Foundation. His art echoes strong issues of body positivity, depression, and mental health. Having faced his own struggles with burnout, bipolar disorder, and body dysmorphia, he channels these experiences into his craft.
SantiYago "Bear" Delgado is a Finnish sculptor whose work has earned international acclaim. Drawing inspiration from life, nature, and the challenges of mental health, his art communicates deeply personal and universal messages. Known for his impact within the LGBTQ+ community, particularly among Bears, SantiYago has collaborated with many models from this community, even traveling to Los Angeles to work with the esteemed Tom of Finland Foundation.
Specializing in bronze and ceramic sculptures, SantiYago's creations blend human and animal forms, revealing the primal side of his subjects. By combining the physicality of his models with animals such as bears, wolverines, and wolves, his art uncovers the inner animal that lies within all of us. This process has been transformative for his models, many of whom find new perspectives on their own bodies through his work.
SantiYago’s art also addresses themes of body positivity, depression, and mental health. Having faced his own struggles with burnout, bipolar disorder, and body dysmorphia, he channels these experiences into his craft. He hopes his work can inspire others to explore their own challenges and find healing through creative expression, offering an alternative to conventional Western medication.
His latest series, The Primitive Side of the Rainbow, delves into humanity's connection to the wild within. Through this series, SantiYago sparks conversations about finding balance with oneself and the natural world. In addition, the showcase will feature earlier works that celebrate body positivity and challenge societal beauty standards.
SantiYago studied art from his earliest years. Today, he lives in Finland, in the middle of a forest with his partner, dedicating his life to creating art that inspires self-acceptance, emotional healing, and a deeper connection to nature.
2024 Tom of Finland Art Fair 2024. Los Angeles. USA
2024 Rainbow Revolution 2024, Kokoteatteri, Helsinki
2024 Haihatus 25v Summer show. Joutsa. Finland
2024 TEOS2024, Kaapelitehdas, Helsinki
01.11.2023-01.03.2024 Burnout
2023 Tom of finland art fair 2023, soho warehouse, Los Angeles, USA
2023 TEOS2023, kattilahalli, Helsinki
2023 Absent landscape, group show Voipala Art Center, Pirkanmaa, Finland.
2023 Urban art competition. ProArtPasila, Helsinki. 2023 WIBES festival
2023 narvilinna, Uusikaupunki 2023 Kaiken Takana 2023, Art Center Haihatus, Joutsa; Finland
2023 Rainbow Revolution 2023, RTI talo, Helsinki
2023 proARTpasila group show. RTI talo, Helsinki
2023 Bold journey; showcasing¨the domination¨ in the Virtual gallery of Kiasma, Helsinki
2023 Decompression. Taide festival, Helsinki
2023 Rööperi. Group show at AvA gallery, Helsinki
2023 NARNIArt 2023 group show, shopping mall Tawast, Jyväskylä, Finland
2022 ArtAgenda2030, Ahvenanmaa, Finland
2022 Eclipse, group show LunaSociaty Galleria, Helsinki
2022 TEOS2022, Kattilahalli, Helsinki.
2022 RainbowRevolution, LunaSociaty Galleria, Helsinki.
2022 Pride without limits, PLAYroom-gallery, Zaandam, Netherlands