OAI Open Art Blog

Jago (Jacopo Cardillo) He was born in Frosinone on April 18, 1987 and is a sculptor and artist.

Short biography

He attended the artistic high school and after graduating he enrolled at the Academy of Fine Arts in Frosinone, which he abandoned before finishing his studies in 2010. When he was 24, Vittorio Sgarbi selected him to participate in the 54th International Art Exhibition of the Biennale di Venice. On November 21, 2012 he received the Pontificate Medal from the Pope, following the creation of a marble bust depicting Pope Benedict XVI. In 2018 he was guest professor at the New York Academy of Art. Since 2016 he has held courses in Italian, Chinese and American schools, universities and academies. He works in the church of Sant’Aspreno ai Crociferi, in the Sanità district of Naples. The materials he uses are entirely white marble that he finds raw in nature and sometimes iron. Let’s see some of his works …

“Venus”

This work is made of Bianco Lasa / Covelano marble. Its realization has been documented day after day through the live broadcasts on social networks. This sculpture represents nothing more than a woman, an elderly woman who, like a Greek statue, covers herself because she is modest. If all of us are used to conceiving Venus as a young woman, in the prime of life, Iago overturns the concept and creates a Venus forward with age. Every detail is represented in a very realistic way: the wrinkles, the fingers, the lips, the nose and above all the eyes, which are magical, thanks to a particular technique the statue is able to fix you wherever you move.

“The bust of Pope Ratzinger”

This full-scale sculpture of white marble was made in 2009. It was commissioned, and this heavy and sterile papal garb was tight on the sculptor, who did not consider the work to be one of his best sculptures. 4 years pass and in 2013 Pope Ratzinger resigns because he is too old, despite the work he had already participated in several exhibitions, Iago decides to put his hand back on the sculpture, stripping the pope and giving us his white skin that seems real, making us forget the real nature of the artwork.

“Look Down”

This white marble sculpture of 2020 represents a new born, alone, who instead of the umbilical cord has a large iron chain that keeps it attached to the ground. The work is exhibited in Piazza Plebiscito in Naples. With this sculpture, Jago wants to stop and think about the less fortunate people and remember that they too were children. The bum on the street corner is now invisible to people who do not think, however, of the fact that once even these less comfortable people they were wonderful children. Other meanings have been attributed to the work: the new born is a symbol of prosperity and hope for the future, hope we need in the historical period we are experiencing. The vandalism event that sees this sculpture as the protagonist is recent: a group of young people after trampling and beating it published their gesture on social media, sparking criticism and comments that reached the artist. The boys got in touch with Jago and once they understood the brutality of their gesture, they apologized to the sculptor himself.

“The veiled son”

With this sculpture of 2019 in Danby marble from Vermont, Jago is inspired by the veiled Christ by Giuseppe Sanmartino, a sculpture from 1753 but changing the protagonist from Christ to an innocent child. If Christ died on the cross for the good of all by sacrificing his life, an innocent dead child covered with a wet veil represents all children (and even all innocent people) who are forced to sacrifice their lives for someone else. The entire creation of the work was documented through direct social media. On 21 December 2019, on the occasion of the inauguration of the “Veiled Son” exhibition curated by Luca Iavarone, the work was placed in the White Chapel of the church of San Severo fuori le mura, in the Sanità district of Naples.

What do you think of this young artist? Leave a comment!