Ana Sotelo
Ana Elisa Sotelo is a Peruvian photographer and educator whose work explores gender, culture, and the human relationship with the natural world. She often merges art with activism, creating collaborative projects that amplify collective voices and experiences.
Her practice blends documentary photography with creative expression, engaging communities in visual storytelling that highlights resilience, identity, and ecological connection. Based between Lima and Washington, D.C., she teaches photography while continuing to develop projects that cross artistic and cultural boundaries.
Sotelo’s practice is shaped by her upbringing across Latin America and the United States, giving her a transnational perspective. She is best known for her long-term project Las Truchas, a visual exploration of women’s wild swimming collectives in Peru that celebrates empowerment and resilience through connection with nature.
She holds an M.A. in Film from American University and a B.A. in Psychology from George Washington University. Currently based in Washington, D.C., she teaches high school photography and photojournalism. She is also an active member of WPOW, Women Photograph, Diversify Photo, and Foto Féminas, networks that promote inclusion and representation within visual storytelling.
Her photographs have been published in National Geographic, The New York Times, Vogue, The Washington Post, Gatopardo, and El Comercio, among other notable publications. She has exhibited internationally in Lima, Paris, Tokyo, Geneva, and Vienna. Her work has been recognised with the International Women in Photography Award, Women Photograph Grant, and POY LATAM. In 2024, she received the inaugural Fondation Louis Roederer Thinking Sustainability Prize for Portraits of the Multiverse. Supported by institutions such as National Geographic, her projects connect visual expression with urgent cultural and environmental narratives.https://xposure.net/wp-content/themes/hello-theme-child-master/assets/save-32.png
Sotelo continues to develop projects that foster dialogue on gender and ecology, while teaching photography and photojournalism in Washington, D.C. Her dedication lies in using art as a catalyst for empowerment, representation, and collective memory.