Chinese Organizers Withdraw from Gwangju Biennale Over Taiwan Pavilion Name Dispute

Chinese organizers have withdrawn from the 16th Gwangju Biennale just two days before its opening, protesting the use of the name “Taiwan Pavilion.”

The Chinese Pavilion team announced Thursday that it had unanimously decided to withdraw from the event.

In a press briefing announcing the decision, Curator Yuelai Ruan said the use of what he called an “incorrect name” for Taiwan had politicized an event intended to celebrate art.

The dispute arose after Taiwan’s National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts was allowed to present its exhibition under the name Taiwan Pavilion.

The biennale foundation had initially listed the exhibition under the museum’s English acronym, NTMoFA, as part of an institutional pavilion agreement. It later approved the museum’s request to use the new name following criticism and delays in setting up the exhibition.

The Chinese Embassy in Seoul said the decision was “inconsistent” with Seoul’s stated support for the one-China policy, warning that it could strain bilateral relations.

In what appeared to be related developments, a delegation from Guangzhou canceled a visit scheduled for Sunday and Monday, while Zhoushan, a city in Zhejiang province, scrapped plans for a promotional pavilion at next year’s World Island Exhibition Expo in Yeosu, South Jeolla Province.