The Naxos-Taormina Archaeological Park presents “Sculpted gestures“, a solo exhibition by Jago, one of Italy’s most renowned contemporary sculptors, opening on Tuesday, September 3, 2025, at 7:00 PM in the evocative setting of the Ancient Theater of Taormina. The free opening evening will feature the artist and institutional representatives, and will include a preview screening of the video story of the David, the sculpture that circumnavigated the world aboard the training ship Amerigo Vespucci, symbolically landing among these ancient ruins. The exhibition, curated by JAGO art studio, is promoted by the Naxos-Taormina Archaeological Park, with general organization and executive production by Aditus Culture and Civita Sicilia, in collaboration with BAM, and with the support of Fercam Fine Art for logistics, transportation, and installation. It will be open until May 3, 2026.

“Sculpted gestures” brings four works by Jago into dialogue—Impronta Animale (Animal Impronta, 2012), Memoria (Memory, 2015), Prigione (Prison, 2016), and David (2024, bronze)—with the cultural and archaeological stratification of Taormina. The first three sculptures, carved in statuary marble, revolve around the theme of the hand: a symbol of contact, creation, and personal affirmation. It is through the hand that human beings leave their mark, sink into matter, and construct memory. Not just a tool, but a self-portrait: a living presence that transcends time.

In Impronta Animale, the hand becomes a relic: a primordial sign reminiscent of cave paintings, evoking an ancestral connection with the earth and our profound history. Memoria presents a handprint carved into the stone. The work reflects on memory and legacy, making the trace of human presence tangible as a symbol of permanence and remembrance. In Prigione, the sculpted image, wrapped in the folds of marble, seems to emerge from a stone prison. The contours of the human figure are barely delineated, while the limbs extend with a strong sense of tension. The gesture is everything: the urgency of existence, a symbol of the struggle to free oneself from what constrains.

Alongside these stands David, a 181 cm tall gilded bronze sculpture, displayed at the top of the stands of the Ancient Theatre. After making a symbolic voyage around the world alongside the training ship Amerigo Vespucci, the work arrives in Taormina carrying the weight of an epic and contemporary narrative. As in other works, here too Jago draws on classical iconography and the tradition of the great masters, reinterpreting the myth of David and Goliath in a modern key to tell a different story, yet one still imbued with courage and revenge. The iconography is recognizable in the proud posture of the female figure (reminiscent of Michelangelo’s famous David), the slingshot, and the stone she clutches—elements that recur as recurring motifs in the artist’s latest masterpieces.

The David project began in 2021 with an initial hand-crafted clay sketch. From that initial image, various clay and plaster versions emerged, culminating in the current model, cast in bronze using the ancient technique of lost-wax casting. The final version, sculpted from Carrara marble and over 4 meters tall, will represent a milestone in Jago’s artistic journey, challenging him to undertake a truly remarkable feat.

In a context like that of Taormina—a crossroads of civilizations and a theater of ancient memories—Jago’s works fit like gestures sculpted in time, witnesses to a continuous expressive need that spans eras and languages.