Ana Elisa Sotelo’s ‘Women’s Circle’ Captures Solidarity After Lima Femicides

Peruvian photographer Ana Elisa Sotelo created the image 'Women’s Circle' in mid-March 2023, following a wave of femicides in Lima. She issued an open call via Instagram for women to swim naked in solidarity with victims of gender violence. The women met at dawn on playa Agua Dulce, swam out to sea, removed their swimsuits, formed a circle, and kicked and screamed naturally. The performance was coordinated via WhatsApp to exclude male onlookers; artist Ana De Orbegoso contributed a vest reading 'Alive and Fearless.' Sotelo flew a drone from the shore while volunteers on paddleboards ensured safety. The work is part of her ongoing series 'Women of the Water,' which began in 2022 in Puerto Natales, Chile, and has since expanded to Argentina, the US, and Barbados. Sotelo, a Peruvian artist and teacher based in the US, reflects that three years later, gender-based violence remains prevalent but public urgency has faded.