Meet Santa
Santa is a London-based artist and designer creating playful, colour-forward works in clay and acrylic.
Originally from a seaside town in Latvia, she moved to London at nineteen to study design, building a practice grounded in both visual discipline and tactile craft.
Influenced by Space Age design and 1970s aesthetics, her practice is an instinct-led celebration of bold form, vibrant nostalgia, and tactile experimentation.
Every piece is produced in her London studio under the watchful eye of her studio assistant, Rudy (short for Rudolph) — the resident CEO.
CV:
Education
UNIVERSITY OF THE ARTS LONDON London College of Communication, BA in Graphic and Media Design
NORWICH UNIVERSITY OF THE ARTS (Transferred to UAL), BA in Graphic Communications
RIGA DESIGN AND ART SCHOOL (RDMV) Diploma in Professional Education, Interior Design
2017
2014
2013
Exhibitions
SALON XVII Graduate work exhibition, University of Arts London, Link
PUSSY GALORE 100 Years of Graphic Communication by Women at Central Saint Martins, London, UK
CIEMOS Graduate work exhibition, Catalonia, Spain
2 THIRDS Graduate work exhibition, The Boiler House, London
RIGA DESIGN AND ART SCHOOL Graduate work exhibition, RDMV, Riga, Latvia
TIME AND GOVERNMENT DECISIONS 94th anniversary of the proclamation of the Republic of Latvia, Latvian State Chancellery, Riga, Latvia
2017
2016
2015
2015
2015
2012
Publications
ARTIST SANTA CIELAVA ON LIFE BETWEEN SALACGRIVA AND LONDON Auseklis Newspaper, Latvia, August 2022 Issue, Link
INTERVIEWS WITH GRADUATES: GRAPHIC DESIGNER SANTA CIELAVA Latvia, Link
NEW TALENT 2017: BEST GRADUATES FROM LONDON'S TOP COLLEGES Computer Arts Magazine, Print Issue 269, page 44&45, Creative Blog, Link
2022
2020
2017
Competitions
Jackson’s Art Prize Extended Longlist, Link
ArtEvol 2026 Longlist
2026