Interview “Works of art last much longer than their governments,” she told Hyperallergic in an interview following the far-right president’s removal of works from the National Museum.

November 4, 2026 — 26 min read

Colombian artist Doris Salcedo during the inauguration of "Fragmentos" in Bogotá in 2018 (photo Lokman Ilhan/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)

Lee esta entrevista en español.

On October 15, dozens of objects were removed from display at the Museo Nacional in Bogotá under the orders of the country’s far-right president, Abelardo De la Espriella. Among them were artworks and materials related to LGBTQ+ and feminist movements; the country's 2016 peace agreement with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC); and the campaigns of left-wing leaders Carlos Pizarro and Bernardo Jaramillo Ossa, both assassinated in the 1990s, whom De la Espriella has called “terrorists.” The objects were reinstated within two weeks by a court order, but the incident roiled the nation: Hundreds took to the streets…