In memoriam: Liliana Angulo Cortés
Fulbright scholar and director of the National Museum of Colombia, Liliana Angulo Cortés, passes away
It is with deep sadness that the Colombian cultural sector bids farewell to Liliana Angulo Cortés, visual artist, researcher, cultural manager, and 2011 Fulbright scholar, who passed away on Saturday, February 21, in Bogotá, after a long battle with cancer, according to her family.
Born in Bogotá in 1974, Angulo Cortés devoted her life to critically exploring memory, identity, and representation of Afro-descendant communities in Colombia. Her artistic training began at the National University of Colombia, where she studied fine arts with a specialization in sculpture. She later pursued a Master of Arts degree at the University of Illinois at Chicago as a Fulbright scholar in Cultural Studies, an experience that strengthened her international perspective and her commitment to Colombia.
Since 2024, she had served as director of the National Museum of Colombia, a position to which she was appointed by the Ministry of Culture, Arts, and Knowledge on March 31 of that year. Previously, since March 2023, she had been co-curator of the Afro Museum of Colombia project, a space from which she promoted fundamental reflections on the country’s contemporary culture.
Throughout her career, she held important roles in public cultural management, including deputy director of the Arts at the District Institute of the Arts (Idartes), manager of Plastic and Visual Arts, and deputy director of Art, Culture, and Heritage at the Secretariat of Culture, Recreation, and Sports of Bogotá. Her leadership was characterized by a critical, inclusive vision deeply committed to institutional transformation.
His artistic practice integrated multiple languages and strategies: processes in various media and dimensions, performative practices, archival activism, museum interventions, historical reparation, and collaborative work with social organizations. He worked in different regions of the country, coordinating creation and collective action, and was part of initiatives such as the Aguaturbia Collective, the Archive and Memory Group of Comuna 6 in Buenaventura, and Wi Da Monikongo – the Afro-descendant Audiovisual Council of Colombia.
In a statement, her family said: “After a long, courageous, and deeply supported process, her body decided to rest. She passed away peacefully, surrounded by the love of her family and sustained by an immense network of affection, prayers, and positive energy.” They remembered her as a woman who was “consistent to the end: lucid, loving, grateful,” whose laughter, pragmatism, tenderness, and strength leave an indelible mark.
The Colombian Ministry of Culture, Arts, and Knowledge also mourned his passing. Minister Yannai Kadamani Fonrodona posted a farewell message on social media, highlighting her deep admiration for his legacy and leadership at the helm of the country’s oldest museum.
The Colombian Ministry of Culture, Arts, and Knowledge also mourned his passing. Minister Yannai Kadamani Fonrodona posted a farewell message on social media, highlighting her deep admiration for his legacy and leadership at the helm of the country’s oldest museum.