Born in El Salvador, Beatriz Cortez is a Los Angeles-based artist and scholar. She holds a Ph.D. in Latin American Literature from Arizona State University and an M.F.A. from the California Institute of the Arts. Her academic background informs her artistic practice, which frequently bridges the gap between historical research and physical form.

Cortez is recognized for her sculptural installations, often constructed from steel, which serve as meditations on simultaneity and the different versions of modernity. Her work investigates how memory and loss manifest in the context of migration and the displacement caused by conflict.

She is a recipient of several prestigious honors, including the Rema Hort Mann Foundation Fellowship for Emerging Artists and the California Community Foundation Fellowship for Visual Artists. Her work has been featured in significant institutional exhibitions, such as the Made in L.A. biennial at the Hammer Museum.