Santos Shelton
Download MP3In this episode of The Truth In This Art, artist Santos Shelton returns!
Who is Santos Shelton: Bay Area–based artist and storyteller. Santos blends science fiction and fantasy with vibrant color and dynamic texture, using his work to explore vulnerability, healing, and lived experience through a lens shaped by being biracial—Black and Mexican.
In our conversation, Santos talks about using art to translate personal and societal trauma into visual stories, and how making the work can be a way to express what’s hard to say out loud. He reflects on a deeply personal solo show shaped by difficult experiences at home and how those experiences can linger, influencing identity and self-perception. We also discuss his upcoming mini solo show at Gallery Ergo in Seattle, where he’s focusing on death and grief after years of family loss—and how cultural context shapes the way he approaches that theme.
Catch Santos’s previous episode here.
Follow Santos on Instagram at @santosart and follow the gallery at @gallery.ergo for updates on the March 13 opening.
As a first, I have an extended version of this conversation if you want to check it out:
The Truth In This Art is supported by William G. Baker, Jr. Memorial Fund, the Maryland State Arts Council's Creativity Grant and Mayor's Individual Artist Award - Creative Baltimore Fund (Baltimore).
Host: Rob Lee
Music: Original music by Daniel Alexis Music with additional music from Chipzard and TeTresSeis.
Production:
- Produced by Rob Lee & Daniel Alexis
- Edited by Daniel Alexis
- Show Notes courtesy of Rob Lee and Transistor
Photos:
- Rob Lee photos by Vicente Martin for The Truth In This Art and Contrarian Aquarian Media.
- Guest photos courtesy of the guest, unless otherwise noted.
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Creators and Guests
Host
Rob Lee
The Truth In This Art is an interview series featuring artists, entrepreneurs and tastemakers in & around Baltimore.
Guest
Santos Shelton
Santos Shelton is an artist based in Oakland, CA. he is a self-taught artist with a degree in graphic design and has been exhibiting works since 2003 He uses bold colors, shapes, and textures tempered with abstract expressive movement to create emotion in his work. Illustrative influences and add a deeper and personal touch to bring his universe to life while using the power of story-telling to convey his intent and message. He believes in communicating an idea through these various mediums to allow the viewer not just a moment of reflection in their own life, but to come to their own conclusions and understanding about what the work means.
