The Antico Ospedale Santa Maria della Scala Foundation presents the second edition of XENOS , an international festival dedicated to contemporary performance, conceived by Cristiano Leone and with the artistic direction of Anna Lea Antolini.
For four days the museum complex transforms into a diffuse stage: site-specific performances in dialogue with the museum's frescoes and architectures will alternate with itinerant interventions, which traverse spaces and gazes, celebrating the boundary between the visible and the invisible.
An edition that reflects on the gaze as a revealing act, in tribute to the 40th anniversary of the death of Italo Calvino, and that hosts major protagonists of the artistic scene.
Among the most renowned names stands the violinist Yury Revich, Alice Mariani prima ballerina of Teatro alla Scala in Milan, Marta Ciappina Ubu Award 2023 for Best Performer, Virgilio Sieni undisputed master of contemporary dance, the KOR'SIA collective formed by Antonio de Rosa and Mattia Russo, the international performers and choreographers Arno Schuitemaker and Noé Soulier and the choristers of the Choir of the Cattedrale di Siena “Guido Chigi Saracini” directed by Maestro Lorenzo Donati, with the special participation of Jacopo Veneziani, art historian and communicator, and many others.
Throughout the festival, virtual reality will also take center stage with The Gaze in virtual reality through the digital performance WAVE by Bart Hess and the short film HALF LIFE VR by Robert Connor.
Xenos is organized in collaboration with the Municipality of Siena and with the financial support of SI.GE.RI.CO. while the executive production is entrusted to Impersive; with the contribution of Embassy and Consulate General of the Kingdom of the Netherlands; with the support of Immagine studio.
The artists
Accademia Musicale Chigiana, Simone Arcagni, Stefania Ballone, Marta Ciappina, Alessandra Cristiani, Robert Connor/ Sharon Eyal & Gai Behar, Compagnia Virgilio Sieni, Delfina Stella, Jacopo Giarda, Riccardo Giovinetto, Bart Hess & Sedrig Dimitri Verwoert, Kor’sia, Giacomo Luci, LU.PA, Alice Mariani, Domenico Prattichizzo, Yury Revich, Arno Schuitemaker, Siena Jazz – Accademia Nazionale del Jazz, Noé Soulier and Jacopo Veneziani.
Others Events
- Initiatives
Closing of the exhibition “Paper Garden. The thread and the mark: grafts, assemblages, diary-books”
6 Jun 2025/6 Jun 2025On the occasion of the exhibition's closing, on Friday, June 6 we are offering a finissage made up of several moments throughout the day. The artist will be present at the finissage.
- Exhibitions
"Oh Good!" by Moustapha Cessay at the Briganti Library
24 Sep 2025/31 Oct 2025On the occasion of the fifth edition of the Festival Voci Migranti, the Biblioteca e Fototeca Giuliano Briganti hosts from 24 to 31 October the work Oh Good! by the artist Moustapha Cessay, created as part of the project Le Valigie Digitali.
- Presentations
Fausto Melotti. In Lightness | A tribute to Italo Calvino
20 Sep 2025/20 Sep 2025Saturday, 20 September 2025, at 4:30 PM, at the Sala Sant’Ansano, the presentation of the book Fausto Melotti. In Lightness | A Tribute to Italo Calvino, edited by Michelina Eremita and published by Silvana Editoriale, will be held.
- #MeetingsAtLaScala
#IncontriallaScala- Museology and perception. From the contemplation of beauty to the aesthetic experience
18 Sep 2025/18 Sep 2025Thursday, September 18 at 5:30 PM, the Santa Maria della Scala hosts a new event in the #IncontriallaScala series, dedicated to the presentation of the book Museology and Perception. From the contemplation of beauty to the aesthetic experience, written by Domenico Piraina and Maurizio Vanni and published by Pacini Editore.
- Initiatives
Bright-Night returns to Santa Maria della Scala. Stands, talks, research walks, guided tours and music
26 Sep 2025/26 Sep 2025The Bright-Night 2025 of the University of Siena returns on Friday, September 26 inside the museum complex.
- Events
Siena Comics For Kids. The comics festival at the museum!
3 Oct 2025/5 Oct 2025At Santa Maria della Scala, from October 3 to 5, 2025, the fifth edition of Siena Comics For Kids will take place, the comics festival dedicated to children and young people.
- Initiatives
OPEN ARCHIVES WEEK – 11th edition
18 Oct 2025/26 Oct 2025From 18 to 25 October 2025, the Fondazione Antico Ospedale Santa Maria della Scala is participating in the eleventh edition of the Open Archives Week, the event promoted by Rete Fotografia to highlight and raise awareness of the photographic heritage preserved in Italian archives.
- Presentations
Presentation of the book “Vita mia. Japan 1943. Memories of an Italian girl in a prison camp” by Dacia Maraini
30 Jan 2025/30 Jan 2025Thursday, 30 January 2025 at 6:00 PM, in the Italo Calvino hall, we host the writer Dacia Maraini who presents the book Vita mia. Giappone 1943. Memorie di una bambina italiana in un campo di prigionia (Rizzoli, 2023), in the week in which Holocaust Remembrance Day is commemorated.
- Conferences
Public conversation Santa Maria della Scala and its future with Architect Luca Molinari
21 May 2025/21 May 2025On Wednesday, May 21, in the Italo Calvino hall, architect Luca Molinari will speak with representatives of Odile Decq, Studio LAN and Hannes Peer to present the design competition for the restoration and enhancement of over 18,000 sq m of the Museum Complex. The goal is to strengthen its cultural and educational mission.
- Initiatives
At the museum: rehearsals of Regeneration Opera by Amat
9 Oct 2025/10 Oct 2025In October the museum hosts the workshops of the project Supporting the Horizon and the rehearsals of Regeneration Opera, an AMAT initiative for the training of young musicians. The project involves schools and the museum's workshops, promoting the regeneration of the theatre audience.
