EMMA’s new exhibition opens a new chapter in the history of Arte Povera

The Arte Povera movement emerged in late 1960s Italy as a reaction against the increasingly commercialised art market. The name of the movement translates directly as "poor art", referring to the materials used by its artists. By employing unadorned, everyday and discarded materials, the artists sought to bring artistic practice closer to daily life. Arte Povera – A New Chapter sheds light on perspectives that have been sidelined from the art historical narrative of Arte Povera. While traditionally the movement has been perceived as a male-dominated, the exhibition foregrounds the contributions of women artists. Here, Arte Povera is presented as a global experimental ethos that has inspired generations of artists and significantly influenced the development of contemporary art.

The exhibition features works by more than 20 artists, setting up a dialogue between original members of the movement – such as Marisa Merz and Ketty La Rocca – and their international contemporaries Louise Bourgeois, Eva Hesse, Senga Nengudi, Nancy Spero and Carol Rama, as well as contemporary artists including Dala Nasser and Kaarina Kaikkonen. Rather than refined aesthetics, the works highlight creative processes, intentional unfinishedness, and immediacy. The featured artists expand and diversify the concept of Arte Povera. In addition to materiality, the works address themes such as locality and embodied experience, collectivity and identity, as well as ecology and societal critique.

“This is the first time that Arte Povera is approached from a feminist perspective. The exhibition reveals ways in which women have enriched the content of the movement and how central their influence has been in establishing it as an enduring part of artistic practice,” says EMMA’s curator Ingrid Orman.

The featured artists are: Liisi Beckmann, Louise Bourgeois, Isabella Ducrot, Laura Grisi, Karin Hellman, Eva Hesse, Kaarina Kaikkonen, Mille Kalsmose, Bronwyn Katz, Ketty La Rocca, Maria Lai, Ana Lupaș, Marisa Merz, Kazuko Miyamoto, Dala Nasser, Senga Nengudi, Anu Põder, Carol Rama, Nancy Spero, Tove Storch, and Elina Vainio. A mobile guide produced for the exhibition will offer insights into the work of each artist.

In 2025, EMMA’s exhibitions will explore experimental uses of materials, with a special focus on art, design, and fashion incorporating textiles, as well as recycled and natural materials.

EMMA's exhibitions in 2025 

Draped – Art of Printed Fabrics 12.2.2025–14.3.2027 
Karin Hellman 9.4.2025–1.2.2026 
Arte Povera – A New Chapter 9.4.2025–1.2.2026 
Social Fabric 23.5.2025–7.12.2025 
InCollection: Antti Laitinen 24.9.2025–23.8.2026

Media works on display in 2025 

Diego Marcon: Dolle 12.2.2025–7.9.2025 
Mohamed Bourouissa: The Genealogy of Violence 24.9.2025–15.2.2026