First Self-taught sculptor, you should be following on Instagram

I sometimes wonder what would it be like if Michelangelo had Instagram. Would he post daily or would he prefer staying anonymous? How many followers would he have?

Jacopo Cardillo aka JAGO is an Italian artist often compared to Michelangelo. Jago has a profile on Instagram with hundreds of thousands of followers (@jago.artist) . Some of his admirers say he is a classical sculptor living in the modern era. Another believe he might just be the next reincarnation of Michelangelo.

One thing is sure, he is a great sculptor with the skill that deserves to be celebrated on and off social media.

Early life and education

Since he was a little boy, Jacopo Cardillo was fascinated with one of the great sculptors, Michelangelo. He often dreamed of becoming a modern-day equivalent of a famous sculptor.

JAGO first attended the Art School and later the Academy of Fine Arts. In 2010 artist decided to end his formal education and find his own way of expression.

“School is a fundamental thing… It would be great if you could complete your path and at the same time keep one foot in it and one foot out of it.” He said after leaving the school.

Source:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cre_z9vfBuw

Today, the artist creates sculptures that are extremely detailed and precise, and a few can measure with his unique skill.
He is also great at video production so we are able to enjoy numerous time-lapses of his art creating process.

Source:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kzxylEw4w5c

Classical art with a provocative twist

While JAGO often gets under the spotlight when creating art about social injustice like one of Aylan Kurdi or political statements like the one with his statue of baby Donald, subjects of his art are mostly pop culture-related.

His words and art are known to provoke intense emotions. JAGO creates art that can make you sad, angry, or shocked but never indifferent or disappointed.

One such example is his award-winning depiction of Pope Benedict XVI, made in 2009 for the Venice Biennale.

Source:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kzxylEw4w5c

The portrait of a fully cloaked Pope Benedict XVI was initially created for a competition for a Vatican commission, but due to its perforated eyes, it had not been selected.

JAGO never changed his vision, he stayed true to his idea and kept it the way he saw it, missing an important opportunity.

Once he found out that Pope Benedict XVI had resigned, he decided to strip the original sculpture of its cloak, showing the human side of once considered an important man.

In another similar piece, the artist created Venere, an aged Venus who no longer holds the beauty of youth (the only thing Venus is known for) but is depicted as an elderly woman who hides her wrinkled body shyly from the audience.

The first sculpture sent to an international space station

Jago is the first artist to send a marble sculpture to the international space station!
The sculpture entitled “The First Baby”, depicting a baby’s fetus was sent to the space station in 2019. and it was returned to earth in February 2020.

Source: Wikimedia Commons, the free media repository, photographed by ESA astronaut Paolo Nespoli

Conclusion

I believe we’ll be seeing even more provocative art by this artist in the future. The time for Jago is yet to come. This artist surely has lots to say, and we’ll let his marble talk for him.

Sources
jago.art/en/biography/
www.accento.world/jago-is-not-michelangelo/
www.visitnaples.eu/en/neapolitanity/tales-of-naples/the-artist-jago-between-the-abandoned-foetus-and-the-link-with-naples
jago.art/en/biography/
www.accento.world/jago-is-not-michelangelo/
www.compulsivecontents.com/detail-event/jago-and-the-future-of-sculpture/
www.instagram.com/jago.artist/
aspiremetro.com/jago-jacopo-cardillo/
www.ciaomag.com/english/jago