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3 years with 'La David' by Jago
27 May
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5 min
The Making of Jago’s David
Three years ago, we entered Jago’s studio in the port of Naples. At its center stood a monumental, four-and-a-half-meter block of pure Carrara marble destined to become his David. This sculpture is a timeless tribute to women, reimagining a biblical myth into a modern symbol.
Carving a block of this magnitude is an anomaly in contemporary art and will most likely be Jago’s last monumental sculpture. The human body eventually reaches a limit of endurance where a work of this scale can only be realized in a very specific window of life.
While a sign outside the door strictly forbids any filming, inside we became the only ones allowed to cross that threshold to document the making of this masterpiece, in a monthly Docu-Series shared on Jago’s YouTube channel. It required years of planning and relentless physical execution (from both of us and Jago).
From that moment we documented every phase of the sculpture's liberation. We breathed the same dust as the artist, listened to the noise of his tools, and shared deep reflections on life itself.
It’s a journey we are still walking today, one that is now approaching its closure.
Witnessing the Unrepeatable
His studio is a harsh ecosystem, reaching 45°C in the peak of summer. To face this, our production had to remain agile, constantly adapting our equipment to survive marble dust and heat. For half a decade, we had the privilege of filming an immense physical strain transform raw matter into something that feels on the verge of breathing. Yet, sheer endurance is only a fraction of the challenge when creating a work of this magnitude; it demands absolute devotion.
Convincing Jago to speak in front of the camera was a battle as he’s going through a period where he seeks absolute isolation, but we convinced him. Capturing his real-time thoughts while creating an unrepeatable piece of history is a vital testament for the future. To allow Jago to open up completely, we stripped away traditional production structures in favor of a strictly solo shoot.
Invisible Observers
When the obsession of the work takes over, disturbing him is out of the question, so we wait for the right fragments of time, utilizing his brief moments of rest to introduce our dialogue.
While he works, Jago speaks with an open heart, sharing his past, his family, values, dreams, and fears. He never knows the theme of the episode beforehand, the concepts remain hidden in our heads, allowing us to prompt him on universal topics that relate to everyone. This is why every episode is defined by a single, powerful word: Environment, Responsibility, Strength…
In doing so, we reveal how the artist undergoes a profound cathartic journey within himself, leaving the emotion pure and accessible to anyone.
This intimacy also demands a unique kind of vigilance. Often, while Jago is focused on the David, his creative instinct overflows, leading him to sketch future projects. Right outside the very camera frames you see of the David, embryonic works of his future creations are already taking shape.
Community as Art
A solitary act in a hidden studio has become a global story. Since the launch, the project has generated 25 million views on YouTube, doubling Jago’s subscriber base past 91,000. But beyond the metrics, the comment section has become an exhibition of its own. From individuals mesmerized by the sounds of the chisels and the spontaneous thoughts of Jago, to those who see in David the courage to slay their own personal giants, whether physical or spiritual.
The monthly YouTube series is just a MacGuffin, a 40% glimpse into a much larger reality. The remaining 60% of our footage is being preserved for a feature-length documentary slated for 2027, for which we are currently seeking international distribution.
From Europe to the US and Asia, an international audience is now united in a collective countdown.
When looking at the marble now, it’s hard to tell where the stone ends and the human begins.
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