Gwangju Biennale organizers urge focus on art following China pavilion withdrawal over Taiwan naming dispute

GWANGJU — Organizers of the 16th Gwangju Biennale asked reporters Friday to keep their focus on the art, a day after Chinese curators and artists pulled their exhibition from the event's pavilion program over the use of the name "Taiwan Pavilion."

Artistic Director Ho Tzu Nyen, who had yet to comment publicly since the dispute broke out in August, was asked about the withdrawal at a news conference. He answered by drawing a line between the two programs.

"The main exhibition, which we are involved in, is completely separate from the operation of the pavilion," Ho said. "I feel like this is often confused, even by journalists and other professionals." He said that did not mean the curators had no opinions, and turned the question over to the foundation.

Youn Bum-mo, president of the Gwangju Biennale Foundation, apologized for the situation and said he had wanted the Chinese pavilion to stay.

"We wanted them with us to the end, and it's a real shame it came to a withdrawal," Youn said. "It's embarrassing, and I'm sorry that we've ended up in an uncomfortable relationship with China."

"What I was really worried about was this turning into a diplomatic problem with China," he said. "That's exactly what happened."

The remarks came after China pulled out from its pavilion at the biennale on Thursday. Speaking at a news conference, Ruan Yuelai, a curator for the China Pavilion, said the organizers had used an incorrect designation for Taiwan and let politics interfere with art, and that the team had decided unanimously to withdraw in protest.

Participants began pulling their work out of the museum where the pavilion was to be shown, according to the biennale foundation.

The Pavilion Project, launched in 2018, runs alongside the main exhibition at museums, galleries and other venues around Gwangju. Entries are put together by countries and by institutions, and this year's edition was to feature 16 of the former and 11 of the latter.

The issue came to light in June when the foundation labeled the exhibition prepared by the state-run National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts the "NTMoFA Pavilion," using the museum's English acronym. Organizers restored the "Taiwan Pavilion" name after the pavilion's artists denounced the move as censorship.

The Chinese Embassy in Seoul said Thursday that the name undermined the political foundation of relations between the two countries. A Chinese city withdrew Wednesday from an expo in Yeosu, citing the dispute. A delegation from Guangzhou canceled a visit to the region the same day.

China claims Taiwan, a self-governing democracy, as its own territory and objects to any designation at official events that implies it is a country. South Korea, like most countries, keeps formal ties with Beijing and unofficial ones with Taipei.

South Korea's Foreign Ministry said Thursday that the naming was decided independently within the private sector and was unrelated to the government's position on Taiwan.

The foundation had apologized a day earlier for the concern and confusion and said it took full responsibility for the escalation.

At Friday's news conference, Youn reiterated the foundation's position that the museum took part as an institution, not as a stand-in for Taiwan. The only binding document, he said, is the agreement the two sides signed.

Asked whether the name might change again, he said: "What, change it now? There's nothing to be done at this point."

"Art is art and politics is politics. You shouldn't lay one over the other. We've kept saying this is a pure art event."

Ho picked the subject back up after Youn finished.

"Human attention seems always drawn to change that happens violently, change that happens suddenly," he said. "Against the wall of politics, the power of art seems weak and powerless. But art has power, and that power extends over long durations, beyond the narrow focus of our limited attention span."

"We are all gathered here today for art. I hope we can respect that," Ho said. "I hope we can refocus our attention on why the four of us are sitting here today, which is the main exhibition and the 43 artists in it, and not divert, distract or disrupt the event."

The session had started late, and organizers cut off questions with hands still up. Before it ended, curator Park Ga-hee was pressed on the point once more.

"I think he already answered it when he talked about the relationship between art and politics," Park said of Ho's response. "We can gather and talk about it when there's time."

The 16th Gwangju Biennale, "You Must Change Your Life," opens to the public Saturday and runs through Nov. 15.