Korean art groups support Taiwan Pavilion: criticize political censorship at Gwangju Biennale

(Central News Agency reporter Dai Yazhen, Tokyo, 19th) The Korean art group "Artists Alliance Against Censorship" issued a statement on the 18th to support the curators and artists of the Taiwan Pavilion participating in the 2026 Gwangju Biennale. It criticized the organizer for deleting the name "Taiwan" from relevant promotional materials, which was tantamount to political censorship. It demanded the immediate restoration of the name "Taiwan Pavilion", a public decision-making process and a formal apology.

The curators and artists of the Taiwan Pavilion issued an official statement on the 15th under the name "Taiwan Pavilion Under Censorship", revealing that the name "Taiwan" was unilaterally deleted from the Gwangju Biennale. So far, in the event posters and website released by the Gwangju Biennale Foundation, the English abbreviation "NTMoFA" of the National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts is only shown where "Taiwan" should be marked.

The Taiwan Pavilion stated that the name change was a unilateral decision made by the Gwangju Biennale Foundation. Although the curatorial team raised objections and requested consultations many times, it has not been adopted.

Artists’ Solidarity Against Censorship issued a statement on Instagram stating that since its inception in 1995, the Gwangju Biennale has always taken the history of the “May 18 Gwangju Democratic Movement” and the values ​​of democracy, human rights, freedom and resistance left behind as important concepts, and has widely publicized them to the outside world. These values ​​have always been one of the most important foundations for the Gwangju Biennale to establish its legitimacy in the international art world.

The statement criticized that the Gwangju Biennale now ignores artists' naming of their own national identity and excludes democratic discussion and consultation procedures, creating an "anti-democratic" situation.

The statement added, "We are deeply saddened and indignant that political censorship of artists and artistic behavior has occurred in Gwangju, known as the 'Holy Land of Democracy in the Republic of Korea.'"

The group also questioned that what is more serious is that after the incident, the Gwangju Biennale Foundation has so far not provided an explanation or apologized for the controversy, but has remained silent.

The statement pointed out that discrimination and exclusion due to factors such as nationality, race, gender, religion or political stance continue to occur in today's international art world, resulting in the unilateral modification or removal of artistic works, the cancellation of exhibitions and public speeches, and the forced silence of artists and cultural workers. As the political, diplomatic pressure and economic influence of some countries increasingly extend and intervene in the field of art and culture, international art platforms such as the Biennale have a greater responsibility to defend the political, ethical and artistic values ​​that contemporary society should adhere to, and to ensure the autonomy of exhibitions and artistic creation.

The "Artists Alliance Against Censorship" emphasizes that the curators of the Taiwan Pavilion, artists, and workers in Taiwan's cultural and art circles who support the incident have the right to name their own identity based on their own political freedom and beliefs, and artistic practices based on this self-identity should also be respected.

The statement said, "As artists and cultural workers active in South Korea today, we are outraged that such censorship has occurred in a Gwangju Biennale that is rooted in the history of democracy and resistance. We also call on members of the art community in South Korea and around the world to stand with the Taiwan Pavilion and take joint action out of a sense of political and artistic responsibility."

The statement finally made three demands to the Gwangju Biennale Foundation, including immediately restoring the name "Taiwan Pavilion"; disclosing the basis, decision-makers and decision-making process for changing "Taiwan Pavilion" to "NTMoFA"; and formally apologizing to the curators and artists of the Taiwan Pavilion for forcibly changing the name despite repeated objections and consultation requests.