Eduarda Emilia Maino was born in Milan on 1930. A self-taught painter Dada (diminutive for Eduarda) took up art after completing a medical degree. In 1957 she met Piero Manzoni who became a life-long friend. The following year she adhered to the Milanese avant-garde and created her first substantial body of work, the Volumi, punctured canvases which bear a strong resemblance to Fontana’s Buchi. This same year Dada had her first solo show at the Galleria dei Bossi in Milan. ??

In 1959 she joined the Milan-based experimental group Azimuth (founded by Bonalumi, Castellani and Manzoni) which had connections with Group Zero in Germany, Group Nul in the Netherlands, and Group Motus in France. In 1961 the artist took part in a show i...