Two days before the opening of the 16th Gwangju Biennale, the China Pavilion exhibition team decided to withdraw in protest over the use of the name "Taiwan Pavilion." The controversy has spread to the cancellation of a visit by a Chinese local government delegation and moves to skip other international events, raising concerns that the event could be disrupted.
On the 3rd, the China Pavilion exhibition team held a press conference at the Gwangju Hajeong-ung Museum of Art and said, "We unanimously decided to withdraw the exhibition to express a strong protest."
Luan Weilai, a curator on the China Pavilion curatorial team, said, "We place great importance on the Gwangju Biennale and put a great deal of effort into planning and exhibiting the China Pavilion, but by using an incorrect designation regarding the participation of the Taiwan region of China, the organizers have allowed political elements to intrude into the realm of art."
The press conference ended in about three minutes without a separate Q&A.
The Embassy of China in Korea also pushed back, issuing a statement in the name of its Spokesperson. The embassy criticized, "The organizers openly allowed the Taiwan region of China to use a designation that does not match its identity at all," adding, "This directly undermines the political foundation of China-Korea relations."
It went on, "The South Korean government has said it maintains its position on 'one China,' but a very small number of South Korean politicians and civic groups are touching the China side's 'red line' on the Taiwan issue."
The conflict began over the name of the pavilion of the National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts. China and Taiwan had not overlapped in participating in the Gwangju Biennale before, but this year both sides opened their own pavilions, triggering a naming dispute.
The Taiwan Ministry of Culture protested that while it had initially negotiated to use the name "Taiwan Pavilion," the organizers changed it in June to "NTMoFA," the English abbreviation of the National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts.
The Gwangju Biennale Foundation said its position was that, because the contract was for an institutional pavilion rather than a national pavilion, the institution's abbreviation should be used. But after criticism from the art world at home and abroad and delays in installing works, it approved the National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts' application to switch to a national pavilion. As a result, the National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts was allowed to use the name "Taiwan Pavilion."
In protest, the China Pavilion exhibition team halted installation work that had been underway at the Gwangju Hajeong-ung Museum of Art on the 28th of last month. Chinese Ambassador to Korea Dai Bing also is said to have expressed regret and concern over the approval of the Taiwan Pavilion name when paying a courtesy visit to Jeonnam-Gwangju Integrated Metropolitan City Mayor Min Hyung-bae on the 27th of last month.
Jeonnam-Gwangju Integrated Metropolitan City issued an apology on the 31st of last month, saying, "The name Taiwan Pavilion is merely an expression entrusted to the participating artists within the realm of art and does not mean that Jeonnam-Gwangju City or the Gwangju Biennale recognizes Taiwan as a nation."
The Gwangju Biennale Foundation also issued a statement the day before, apologizing for the confusion that occurred during operations and expressing hope for the China Pavilion's participation. But with the China Pavilion ultimately deciding to withdraw, disruptions appear unavoidable for the operation of the pavilions, which are considered core programs of the Gwangju Biennale alongside the main exhibition.
The fallout is spreading to exchanges between local governments. The Standing Committee delegation of the Guangzhou People's Congress in China reportedly notified the day before that it would cancel its planned visit to Jeonnam-Gwangju on the 6th–7th as a protest over the situation.
Guangzhou's side was said to have made clear that this is not a simple schedule change but a "boycott" in protest of the Gwangju Biennale's Taiwan Pavilion issue. As a result, the planned schedule, including a courtesy call on the mayor, a meeting with the council leadership, an official dinner, and tours of industrial and cultural facilities, was all canceled.
The ripple effects are also reaching the Yeosu World Archipelago Expo, which opens around the same time. Zhoushan in Zhejiang province, China, had planned to run a promotion pavilion at the expo but recently conveyed its intention not to participate, according to reports. Yeosu City and the organizing committee are said to be urging the Chinese side through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to take part as scheduled.