SOPERCHI ORNAMENTI
SOPERCHI ORNAMENTI: THE INTERNATIONAL CONTEMPORARY FIBER ART BIENNIAL BRINGS TO THE COUNCIL CHAMBER OF VALTOPINA A REFLECTION ON WOMEN’S HEADWEAR THROUGH THE LENSES OF HISTORY, IDENTITY, AND EMANCIPATION.
VALTOPINA (Perugia, Italy) – From 4 to 6 September 2026, the Council Chamber of the Municipality of Valtopina will host Soperchi Ornamenti, an exhibition curated by Barbara Pavan and Monna Lisa Salvati, presented as part of the International Contemporary Fiber Art Biennial, within the programme of the 22nd Embroidery and Textile Exhibition.
The exhibition brings together the work of nine internationally recognised women artists – Elham M. Aghili, Jorgelina Alessandrelli, Gloria Campriani, Susanna Cati, Rosita D’Agrosa, Florencia Martinez, Laura Mega, Lucia Bubilda Nanni, and Olga Teksheva – who employ the language of fiber art to transform the female head covering into a textile sculpture capable of exploring the relationship between body, identity, and emancipation.
The project draws inspiration from the history of women’s headwear in Western culture, where covering one’s head was, for centuries, far from a neutral gesture. It functioned as a marker of belonging, social status, religious prescription, and control over the female body. Through the language of contemporary art, this same object is now reinterpreted as a symbol of freedom, creativity, and self-determination, offering a narrative centred on women’s ability to transform the limitations imposed by history into opportunities for expression and change.
Created using textile techniques and materials, the works restore artistic dignity to a medium long relegated to the realm of the so-called “minor arts” because of its historical association with women’s labour. Thread, fabric, and embroidery thus become tools of contemporary artistic inquiry, through which each artist develops a personal reflection on the body, memory, and the representation of identity.
The significance of the project is further reinforced by the choice of the Council Chamber as the exhibition venue. Historically a place symbolising institutional representation and public decision-making—traditionally dominated by men—it is transformed into a space where art and society engage in dialogue. The sculptural headpieces symbolically occupy the seats of power, turning an institutional setting into a site for reflection on women’s emancipation and on the value of diversity as a resource for shaping the future.
Soperchi Ornamenti also inaugurates Biennale Off, the new satellite programme of the International Contemporary Fiber Art Biennial, created to expand the Biennial’s exhibition venues beyond the Museum of Embroidery and Textiles to include the Council Chamber and the Public Library of Valtopina. The initiative strengthens the relationship between contemporary art and the local community, creating new opportunities for dialogue between artistic research, cultural heritage, and civic life.
The exhibition will open on Friday, 4 September at 11:30 a.m. and remain on view until 6 September 2026 (daily from 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.), offering visitors a journey that interweaves history, art, and civic engagement while reaffirming the Biennial’s commitment to exploring textiles as a language capable of interpreting the present and envisioning new horizons.
The International Contemporary Fiber Art Biennial is promoted by the Municipality of Valtopina, the Valtopina Embroidery School, and the Museum of Embroidery and Textiles, within the framework of the 22nd Embroidery and Textile Exhibition, under the patronage of the Umbria Region, the Province of Perugia, CEDRAV, Umbria Ecomuseums, the Umbria Chamber of Commerce, the Fondazione Cassa di Risparmio di Foligno, UNESCO Club Foligno and Fonti del Clitunno ODV.
