Why Is He Considered the New Michelangelo?

This is one of Michelangelo's masterpieces. And this is the work of an artist who is considered the new Michelangelo. But who is this artist? Iago is an artist who isn't afraid to stir up emotions and challenge perspectives. His sculptures, particularly those depicting Donald Trump and Pope Benedict, have ignited conversations and generated controversy, sparking debate about power, vulnerability, and the human condition. Today we discover this contemporary artist. Iago, the new Michelangelo. Iago is an Italian sculptor. After graduating, he enrolled in the Academy of Fine Arts, but left before completing his studies. In 2012, he received the Medal of the Pontificate from the Pope for the creation of a marble bust depicting Pope Benedict XVI. The Pope resigns, and he undresses him. He moved to New York, where after two years of work, he created The Veiled Son. They offered him a purchase for $22 million, and he refused. In 2020, he installed his work Look Down in the middle of the night in Piazza Plebiscito in Naples. And some kids vandalized it. No problem. He invites them into his studio. Speaking of his laboratory, it is located in an old abandoned church in a neighborhood of Naples. His idea was to redevelop an abandoned area of the city, create a museum to give visibility to the area, make unfortunate kids work, and create a small economy. It is right here that you can see some of Iago's works. Today we will see three artworks. If you are interested in seeing others, write a comment below. Look Down represents the figure of a newborn baby with a chain representing an umbilical cord. The work was born when the artist lived in New York. In that city, he constantly saw people living on the streets between magnificent skyscrapers. He thought about the fact that no one seemed to care about them. And he also thought about the fact that if he had been a child, everyone would have paid attention to him. At that time, the COVID pandemic began, so Iago was forced to return to Italy, specifically to Naples. He thought back to the work he had started in New York, and in particular to the chain representing the umbilical cord. The latter, in theory, breaks the moment you come into the world. But if you are unable to cope with life's difficulties, you remain bound and dependent on society to give you nourishment. Lock Down was the original title, but he tweaked it to this play on the words Look Down. The artistic operation is about summarizing concepts while giving the viewer a chance to put their feelings into it. The Veiled Sun is a work that takes inspiration from a statue exhibited in the San Severo Chapel Museum, the Veiled Christ. This statue was created in the 17th century and represents the body of Christ covered by a thin veil. Although it looks like an optical effect, it is all marble. Iago decided to play with the name and decided to create a similar work and place it in the Basilica of San Severo. The statue represents a dead child, which recalls current historical events of war and escape from war zones, covered with a cloth that recalls the statue of the Veiled Christ. But if we look carefully, Christ is covered by a veil, while the child seems to be covered by a rough cloth. This detail makes us think of a discrepancy between people, some wealthy and others in unfortunate conditions. We notice that near the child there is a small stone. We don't know the meaning, and everyone is free to give their interpretation. However, we know that the artist revealed the secret to the priest of the chapel. The Circulatory System is a set of sculptures that represents the heartbeat. Iago says he circularly realized the idea, starting from traditional sculptural techniques, passing through new technologies, and then returning to traditional artistic gestures. In particular, after creating a clay model, he made one in resin, which he then subsequently translated into 3D. A heartbeat animation was later developed. Iago chose a beat, which returned him 30 frames. These 30 micro-movements serve to create the 30 works that make up the composition. And by looping these 30 frames, we have a beating heart, which explains the name Circulatory System. Comparison with Michelangelo I talk about when I was a child and I had the desire to compare. This is necessary, that is, each of us can have a point of lightness. Exactly. But the important thing is not to try to look like him. A child must allow himself this privilege. It's just a name for me. I need it because at least we know what we're talking about. We have a comparison term. I'm not like him. I'm never as big as he is. It's incomparable. But the interesting thing is to underline how a child must, in fact, we all must preserve that spirit, that spirit of initiative, that genuine sense of emulation compared to greatness, because otherwise today we no longer produce anything that we ask for conservation. Instead, we can do it, we can do it and we must do it.