Giulia Mangoni Paints the Witches of Ciociaria

Italian artist Giulia Mangoni (born 1991, Isola del Liri) explores the folkloric figure of the witch, or 'ianara', in her exhibition 'La strega si trasforma persino in vento' (The Witch Even Transforms into Wind) at Operativa Arte Contemporanea in Rome, curated by Beatrice Benella. The show features paintings and a wall painting that draw on local oral traditions and texts such as 'Gente di Ciociaria' (2007) and 'I Cunti' (2018). Mangoni's work interprets the witch as a shape-shifter who becomes invisible by anointing herself with oil, a metaphor for her own oil painting process. She also incorporates the 'pupanaro' (werewolf), depicted not as a monster but as a psychologically troubled person cared for by the community. Personal family stories appear in works like 'Amico orso (brother)', based on her brother's childhood nightmare. Mangoni's eight years living in Brazil influenced her use of color and kitsch as visual politics, referencing Beatriz Milhazes and the Anthropophagic Manifesto by Oswald de Andrade. Her archive includes collaborations with local artisans Roberto Tersigni and Paola D'Orazio, and the Fattoria Didattica Il Gallo Larino. The exhibition runs at Operativa Arte Contemporanea in Rome.