Working from memory and imagination, Margherita Manzelli paints portraits of haunted and haunting female figures with wide-set translucent eyes and pale, emaciated bodies. Placed in backgrounds that range from vaguely representative to otherworldly, Manzelli’s figures, such as the recumbent woman in Oval (2012), stare uncannily back at the viewer. Infusing traditional oil painting technique with a conceptual element, Manzelli often includes a performative component in her exhibitions, such as linking the functioning of the gallery lights to her own live singing.