Taiwan Pavilion Name restored at Gwangju Biennale after Dispute
South Korea’s Gwangju Biennale Foundation has agreed to restore Taiwan's name in the upcoming exhibition after Taipei protested the unilateral renaming of its pavilion and threatened to withdraw.
The Biennale had referred to the pavilion as “NTMoFA Pavilion,” using the abbreviation for the National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts, but has now agreed to use “Taiwan Pavilion," reported by SET News. The 15th Gwangju Biennale is scheduled to open Sept. 5.
The dispute began in June, when the foundation changed the pavilion's name without consulting the Taiwanese curatorial team or artists. Taiwan criticized the move as political censorship, while the foundation attributed the change to differences over the participating entity's naming convention.
On Monday, the foundation maintained that the pavilion could only be identified by the National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts, the contracting entity for the exhibition, according to SET News. The foreign ministry and culture ministry subsequently protested and demanded that the organizers allow Taiwan to participate in the exhibition under the agreed Taiwan Pavilion name.
The culture ministry said it issued statements on Aug. 17 and 19 explaining that the museum had agreed to participate as the Taiwan Pavilion, reported by CNA. International art professionals and artists also urged the Gwangju Biennale Foundation to restore the name.
The Gwangju Biennale Foundation said Tuesday that participating institutions and artists should have a meaningful say in how they are identified and represented, while stressing that exhibition autonomy and procedures under its agreements must also be respected. It said the dispute concerned an administrative and contractual disagreement over the participating entity and its designation in official promotional materials, rather than the exhibition’s content.
The foundation said it had not intervened in the pavilion’s curation, artwork selection, installation, or the artistic expression of its artists and curators, and would not do so. It said it was consulting with the National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts and the National Asian Culture Center to resolve the remaining issues and expedite preparations for the exhibition.
South Korea’s MBC reported that the foundation agreed to allow the use of Taiwan Pavilion after Taipei threatened to withdraw if the name could not be used. The designation will appear at the venue, in official documents, and promotional materials.
The National Asian Culture Center, which will host Taiwan’s pavilion, said it will immediately arrange for the Taiwanese artists’ works to be installed at the venue upon receiving official documentation confirming the agreement, per MBC. The center said it will work to ensure installation is completed before the event opens.