My life is made up of failures, to sculpt something you must first break it

Everyone experiences art freely, according to the emotions they feel

Jago Podcast

Intro

Buongiorno Jago, it is  fantastic to meet you. You are a Art Superstar. Everyone at Mayflower is super excited. Thank you for joining us today. Before starting our interview, I would love to tell you that I have been to visit your exhibition at Palazzo Bonaparte in Rome.

I visited with my mum, my little sister, my grandma, my cousin and my auntie. We loved going in and out of those rooms and discovering your sculptures. We loved getting to know the stories that they were telling us.

My favourite was the sculpture of the hand because it looked realistic and cool. I have got a fridge magnet from that day and I love to see it every day in our kitchen. 

Come stai?

 

Now for some questions from my good friends - they also love art...

1. We watched a documentary where you talked about the energy of a place and how if you let it, it will impact on and fuel your creativity. You have exhibitions in Rome and Naples. How does the energy from two cities fuel you art and what can we do as children to stay topped up with creative energy?

 

2. Looking back to when you were young as a child in school what subjects or types of learning most impacted how are you saw the world and approach your life as an artist?

 

3. What place does maths have in your work as a sculptor?

 

4. You say that you give your work a new life and help people contribute and have a conversation about art by using social media. What impact has social media had on how you live life as an artist and what advice would you give us as young people when using the Internet?

 

5. Who are you artistic heroes?

 

6. Has there ever been a piece of sculpture that went wrong and what did you learn from this experience?

 

7. Many people believe that drawing is the root of all artistic ventures. Would you agree or disagree with this and why?

 

8. How do you make your hands turn your ideas from your head into a sculpture?

 

9. Which piece of work are you most proud of and why?

 

10. Is there a reason why you always seem to wear black clothes only? Why do you think so many artists and designers so often only wear black?

 

11. If you were 10 years old what would you do every day to make sure you became the best artist possible? 

 

12. We are looking at how we can publish our learning beyond our postcode and beyond where we live. We believe that it will help us to get better feedback and make people think differently about our learning. What if your work stayed dormant, quiet and unseen in your church studio in Naples - what if no one ever got to see it? 

 

Outro

Jago, you have made us think differently about what makes good art and how to live in an artistic way. We would all love to visit your museum in Italy. Could you imagine if we could do this? Thank you so much for taking time out to chat with us. You are truly an inspiration and a master of your work. Please keep in touch with us, and remember...'Together We Can...'

 

Takeaways

Never give up on creativity

Where you place yourself can keep you creative

Have a morning routine | read books

Come to Naples and visit me

You are unique

Be like your parents but better

Study Maths

 

JAGO is an Italian artist working in the field of sculpture. He was born in Frosinone (Italy) in 1987, where he studied art high school and then the Academy of Fine Arts (left in 2010).

His artistic research is rooted in traditional techniques. Jago uses marble as a noble material, but he treats fundamental themes of the era he inhabits, establishing a direct relationship with the public through the use of video and social networks to share the production process.

At the age of 24, upon presentation by Maria Teresa Benedetti, he was selected by Vittorio Sgarbi to participate in the 54th edition of the Venice Biennale, exhibiting the marble bust of Pope Benedict XVI (2009) that earned him the Pontifical Medal. The youthful sculpture was then reworked in 2016, taking the name Habemus Hominem and becoming one of his best-known works.

Since his first solo exhibition in the capital in 2016, he has lived and worked in Italy, China and America. He has been a visiting professor at the New York Academy of Art, where he gave a masterclass and several lectures in 2018.

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SOLO EXHIBITIONS

2022 “Jago, The Exhibition”, Palazzo Bonaparte, Rome, Italy
2021 “Look Here”, Desert Al Haniya, Fujairah, UAE
2021 “Pietà”, Basilica of Santa Maria in Montesanto, Rome, Italy
2021 “Jago a Sant’Anna dei Lombardi ”, Complex of Sant’Anna dei Lombardi, Naples, Italy
2020 “Look Down”, Piazza del Plebiscito, Naples, Italy
2019 “First Baby”, International Space Station, ISS
2019 “Figlio Velato”, Basilica of San Severo Outside the Walls, Naples, Italy
2019 “Veiled Son”, HighLine Stages, New York, USA
2019 “Habemus Hominem”, Galleria Doria Pamphilj, Rome, Italy
2018 “Habemus Hominem”, Museo Carlo Bilotti, Villa Borghese, Rome, Italy
2017 “Circulatory Apparatus,” Galleria Montrasio Arte, Monza, Italy
2017 “Circulatory Apparatus,” Galleria Montrasio Arte, Milan, Italy
2016 “Memories,” Basilica of SS XII Apostles, Rome, Italy
2014 “Ele-Mental Anatomy,” Fondazione Umberto Mastroianni, Arpino, Italy
2011 “Habemus Papam,” Museo della Media Valle del Liri, Sora, Italy