Chinese Artists withdraw from Gwangju Biennale
Chinese artists withdrew from the Gwangju Biennale in South Korea after the biennale allowed “Taiwan” to be used in the name of the exhibition, officials said yesterday.
The Gwangju Biennale, one of Asia’s largest contemporary art events, is to open today, bringing together artists from around the world at venues across the city.
The dispute began after Taiwanese artists said organizers had initially agreed to call their exhibition the “Taiwan Pavilion,” but in June changed the name to “NTMoFA,” the acronym for the National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts.
The change was made “without the consent of the participating team, and erased Taiwan from the poster,” the artists said in a joint statement last month, accusing organizers of political censorship.
Last week, the Gwangju Biennale Foundation reversed course and agreed to restore the name “Taiwan Pavilion.”
Chinese artists then halted preparations for their own pavilion, and yesterday the Chinese artists announced they would formally withdraw, local media reported.
A spokesperson for the foundation confirmed that the Chinese artists were withdrawing.
China’s consulate general in Gwangju said biennale organizers “openly allowed the Taiwan region of China to participate in the exhibition using a name that is completely inconsistent with its status.”