Organized by the Associazione Archeofuturo since 2018, In-ruins is a residency program dedicated to exploring the potential of the intersection between contemporary art and archaeology through the temporary placement of artists, curators, and researchers near monumental sites in Calabria. In-ruins reimagines the territory through its past, transforms ancient ruins into spaces for sharing, and brings the urgent and contemporary experimentation of international artists to the heart of regions far from major cultural hubs. Rooted in a southern and Mediterranean perspective, the project aims to reinterpret not only the archaeological heritage but also the mythologies, traditions, and histories of the communities that have safeguarded it for generations.

The 2023 residency is organized in collaboration with the Elpis Foundation and, for its fourth edition, takes place in the province of Cosenza, at the Sibari Archaeological Park. This area of Calabria, known topographically as Sibaritide, witnessed the rise, development, expansion, and decline of the great polis of Sibari; here, in the periods following the destruction of the Greek city—partly overlapping its ruins—were established first the classical-era center of Thurii and then the Roman settlement of Copia. This exceptional stratification makes Sibari one of the most extensive and important sites in the Mediterranean up to the height of the Roman era. The Park includes the National Archaeological Museum of Sibaritide, the Parco del Cavallo Archaeological Area, and the National Archaeological Museum of Amendolara.

The 2023 edition of the In-ruins residency concluded with the exhibition project Simposio and thus stands out as an expanded peripatetic space, a crossroads and at the same time an artistic, philosophical, cultural, and political destination, where archaeology becomes fertile ground and where magical visions stand out in the interstices of the historiographical fragment. What resonates is a magical South, intoxicated by the earth’s depths and the sky, by hands that transform the landscape and rituals that consecrate time.