Since the beginning of her career during the Chilean dictatorship, Paz Errázuriz’s gaze has focused on the people who live at the margins of society, out of sight for a large portion of the population. Despite democracy now having been in place for several decades in her country many collectives continue to be excluded. The photographer, who has always been committed to minorities and understands them to constitute a social majority, continues to explore their realities. One of her most recent works, Muñecas, frontera Chile-Perú [Dolls, Chile-Perú Border], focuses on a brothel she came across when she was on a trip to photograph a prison in the north of Chile in 2014. This border territory, full of desert and mining landscapes, is known for its brothels, many of which are in ruins, such as Casa de Muñecas [Doll House].

Despite Errázuriz’s predilection for black and white, the choice of color for this project grants it a more spontaneous and less solemn tone than her previous works. This first photograph within the series depicts three women posing at the door of one of the precarious rooms in which they work. The acceptance of the presence of the photographer and her camera on the part of those being portrayed—the prostitutes in the image, or the clients who appear in other photographs—reflects her commitment to this reality and is evident in the images.