Fabio Santacroce’s 63rd-77th STEPS: An Artist-Run Space on a Staircase in Bari

Fabio Santacroce operates 63rd-77th STEPS, an artist-run space located on a condominium staircase in Bari, between the 63rd and 77th steps of an early 20th-century building where he lived until last year. Conceived as an extension of his artistic practice, the Art Project Staircase functions as an exhibition platform focusing on recent post-pop and conceptual practices, currently structured through online and off-site shows. Santacroce describes his role in group shows as a 'capobanda' (ringleader) or aggregator, emphasizing the militant identity of the space. Operating in marginal contexts with limited growth opportunities, he sees self-sufficiency and self-organization as essential. The domestic display on the staircase's last ramp conveys tension and sentimentality, exploiting its residual nature with a program that expresses the 'sulfurous' character of Southern Italy. 63rd-77th STEPS investigates the limits and potential of the periphery, redefining its spatiotemporal coordinates and questioning the mechanisms of art-making in relation to the current socio-political landscape. The article was published on Artribune Magazine #34, curated by Dario Moalli.