Loneliness, the violence that comes with aging, intimacy and the nearness of death are the themes that occupy Ana Gallardo’s work. In the artist’s words, “affective relationships, encounters with people, the appropriation of life stories, feelings, doubts, certain mysteries, failures, disagreements, are my immediate tools.” Estela clandestinely portrays a moment in the relationship between the artist and an elderly woman, paralyzed by a series of strokes. With the camera strapped around her neck, Gallardo captures her own hand, massaging Estela’s, who lived in the Xochiquetzal residence for women who carried out sex work and lived in the street. In exchange for being able to carry out a project in this nursing home, the director asked Gallardo to take care of Estela, who finally passed away. As a result of this event, the artist decided to abandon her initial project, of which only this video and some photographs of the residence and its tenants survive.

Image: Courtesy of the artist