Between cinema and performance, the restoration of archive films and installation, Ana Elena Tejera's multidisciplinary artistic practice is closely linked to the geographical particularities of Panama, her homeland, a place of passage, migrations, exchanges, disconnections and conflicts. The nature and history of Panama and, essentially, its human complexity, rich in mysticism, rituals, traditions and a culture of resistance, are the conceptual basis of her work, which makes an intimate political statement

By playing with documentary and fictional elements that are part of a universe linked to the body, sensory and geographical, Ana Elena proposes to return to the state of that place that is neither land nor sea, that divides and unites, a place of mixture between human and nature. The liberation of bodies in their animal and instinctive states which, once domesticated, now mutate into their vivacious and passionate states.

The artist, whose work was first presented in Portugal in the context of the New Voices and International Competition sections of Curtas Vila do Conde, has drawn her work closer to the national context, by initiating a gradual integration that began in the movie theaters. Her relationship with Curtas Metragens CRL has led to the preparation of a coherent and ambitious project, which involves the original exhibition "La casa de los animales", designed for Solar - Gallery of Cinematic Art, the performance "Vela" and the screening of the films "A Love Song in Spanish" and "Panquiaco", which are part of Circular Festival of Performing Arts in Vila do Conde. In parallel, the exhibition "Los sucesos que llevaron a su olvido", resulting from an original installation piece, is being held in Batalha Centro de Cinema’s exhibition space, in Porto, as well as the performance "Un suceso político y otros asuntos del Diablo" designed for the same venue. Both exhibitions will take place simultaneously, in Solar and in Batalha’s Sala-Filme, as they were conceived to remain in permanent dialog.