She was especially close to the group of writers and cartoonists involved with the publication of several independent magazines, including Il Male, Cannibale, and Frigidaire – as well as "off theater" avant-garde experiences like the circle of the Beat 72 .
With Laura Ruggeri and Gianni Romano she initiated the first archive of women artists working in Italy, which is now housed at DOCVA (Documentation Centre for Visual Arts) in Milan.
In 1992, Fontana opened the Emi Fontana Gallery in Milan,[1] where she worked with artists such as Adrian Piper,[2] Alessandra Spranzi,[3] Arpiani & Pagliarini, Cosima von Bonin, Diana Thater,[4][5] Gillian Wearing,[6] John Waters, Ketty La Rocca, Liam Gillick,[7] Liliana Moro,[8] Lovett & Codagnone,[9] Luca Buvoli,[10] Luca Vitone, Mark Dion, Michael Smith, Mike Kelley,[11] Monica Bonvicini, Olafur Eliasson,[12][13] Renée Green, Rirkrit Tiravanija[14] and Sam Durant.
Also in Westwood in 2007, Fontana presented works of Liliana Moro[20] featuring a group of cast-bronze sculptures of attacking dogs, and framed embroidered depictions of domestic cats at the Italian Cultural Institute.
In 2008 Fontana curated the group show “Women in the City[22]”, where works by Cindy Sherman, Barbara Kruger, Jenny Holzer and Louise Lawler were disseminated in more than 300 locations across greater Los Angeles.
Over the years Fontana has studied and trained with Pandit Rajmani Tigunait, Erich Shiffmann, Jeanne Heileman, Leslie Kaminoff, Larry Payne, Maty Ezraty, Rod Stryker, Paul Cabanis, Kofi Busia, Manuso Manos, and Carrie Owerko.