Beatriz Cortez Joins in Year of Expanded Focus on Marginalized Identities
By: Laura Compton and Maria Sestito for The Dirt
UC Davis art professor Beatriz Cortez has been invited to participate in the prestigious Venice Biennale arts and culture showcase, marking the first time in 40 years a current faculty member has been tapped for the honor.
Cortez’s participation continues the university’s rich legacy of innovation, exceptional teaching and practice of the arts. She joins the ranks of art department faculty, including William T. Wiley (1972, 1980) and Roy De Forest (1980), to exhibit at the world-renowned exhibition.
Born in San Salvador, El Salvador, Cortez is a multidisciplinary artist and sculptor. She joined the faculty as associate professor of art in fall of 2023 following a visiting professorship in The California Studio: Manetti Shrem Artist Residencies.
“I am so thrilled and honored to be the first artist from El Salvador to be included in the international art exhibition of the Venice Biennale, and to be one of few Latinx artists based in the United States who have been invited,” Cortez said. “It is a beautiful manifestation of the communities and individuals whose voices and labor mark my work, and who have supported and inspired me in multiple ways throughout the years.”
Cortez’s work explores simultaneity, life in different temporalities, and imaginaries of the future, particularly in relation to memory and loss in the aftermath of war and the experience of immigration.
“This tremendous achievement is a testament to the level of talent Beatriz brings to UC Davis,” Estella Atekwana, dean of the College of Letters and Science, said. “Beatriz is already playing a powerful role in increasing our collaborations across our arts programs and departments and helping to elevate our arts community as a whole in national and international recognition.”
The 60th International Art Exhibition is titled “Stranieri Ovunque,” or “Foreigners Everywhere,” and will run April 20 through Nov. 24.
