Catania hosts a new stage of MAIRE and Fondazione MAIRE’s In‑genium project at the prestigious local University, bringing together heritage, art and innovation, in the presence of the Mayor, the Rector and the MAIRE Chairman
PRESS RELEASE- Rome, Milan, Catania: the project “in-genium. Gazes on the past and the future of technology” is presented through a conference and an exhibition combining contemporary photography, historical heritage and interdisciplinary research, offering an original perspective on how the evolution of technical knowledge continues to translate into technological and engineering solutions supporting the energy transition
- The works will be on display at the Museo dei Saperi e delle Mirabilia Siciliane in Catania until 30 June
Catania, 28 May 2026 – The photographic project in-genium. Gazes on the past and the future of technology was presented today in the prestigious setting of the Rectorate of the Università degli Studi di Catania. Promoted by MAIRE and Fondazione MAIRE – ETS, in collaboration with the Parco archeologico del Colosseo of the Colosseum and under the patronage of the Università degli Studi di Catania, the initiative brings the heritage and ingenuity of the ancients into dialogue with the challenges of contemporary technology and sustainability through the language of contemporary photography.
The project becomes a visual and conceptual investigation into the meaning of téchne – the craft of making, the know-how – and its evolution over time, which is increasingly central today to the development of advanced technologies and industrial solutions serving the energy transition.
At the heart of in-genium is a collective, experimental “artist-in-residence” experience in Rome, coordinated by Carmelo Nicosia, Director of the photography school at the Accademia di Belle Arti di Catania. The residency involved students and faculty from the Accademie di Belle Arti of Brera, Rome and Catania, in a shared exploration of places that symbolize ancient technology – reinterpreted through a contemporary gaze.
Hosted at the Museo dei Saperi e delle Mirabilia Siciliane and open to visitors until 30 June, the exhibition maps this dialogue through a guided route structured around six key terms – design (progettare), measure (misurare), channel (canalizzare), mix (miscelare), lift (sollevare), reuse (riutilizzare) – each opening a distinct perspective on the conversation between ancient and present-day knowledge.
The arrival of in-genium in Catania holds particular significance for MAIRE, which in November 2024 inaugurated in the city a centre of excellence dedicated to the development of advanced technological and engineering solutions for the energy transition, employing highly qualified engineers and technicians. In this context, the dialogue between culture and innovation is part of an ecosystem already strongly oriented toward applied research, industrial development and the training of highly specialised skills – helping to reinforce Catania’s role as a strategic hub for the engineering of the future, also thanks to collaboration with the Università degli Studi di Catania and local institutions.
The event opened with institutional greetings from Enrico Foti, Rector of the Università degli Studi di Catania, Enrico Trantino, Mayor of Catania, and Monica Luca, President of the Women’s Entrepreneurship Committee of Confindustria Catania. This was followed by a roundtable featuring Lina Scalisi, Pro-Rector of the Università degli Studi di Catania and President of the Accademia di Belle Arti di Catania, Germana Barone, Director of the Museo dei Saperi e delle Mirabilia Siciliane, Franco Ghiringhelli, Group Human Resources, ICT, Organization & Procurement SVP, Carlo Nicolais, Institutional Relations, Communication & Sustainability VP, Mauro Scaccianoce, President of the Order of Engineers of Catania, and Lina Scalisi. Lastly, Carmelo Nicosia spoke with photographers Gabriele Argentino, Carmen Cardillo and Giuseppe Calabrese, who took part in the project.
Closing the event, Fabrizio Di Amato, Founder and Chairman of MAIRE and Fondazione MAIRE – ETS, inaugurated the exhibition with the attending authorities and commented: “in-genium was born from the desire to tell the story of human ingenuity as a continuous thread running through the centuries – from the legacy of the ancients to the challenges of contemporary technology – an invitation to revisit the relationship between technical knowledge and the humanistic dimension. Catania is a place where MAIRE invests tangibly – in skills, in young people, in the future – and the bond with the University and the Accademie di Belle Arti makes it even more meaningful. The humanist engineer we refer to in this project is not an abstraction: it is someone who can combine technical expertise with cultural awareness, and who today is essential to develop and apply innovative technologies in the industrial processes of the energy transition”.
in-genium is also a podcast – Futuro Anteriore, produced by Chora Media and narrated by Jacopo Veneziani – available on the main streaming platforms.
