China reacts angrily to Gwangju Biennale’s Taiwan pavilion, pulls out of Gwangju and boycotts Yeosu event

Chinese artists installing work for the Gwangju Biennale’s special pavilion have packed up after the event allowed the name “Taiwan Pavilion,” triggering a broader Chinese boycott of events in the Jeonnam-Gwangju area.

A group of 19 artists held a news conference on Sept. 3 at the Ha Jung-woong Art Museum in Gwangju and said they would stop installing their work and withdraw. They had already suspended the work on Aug. 28. The artists said they valued the biennale and had devoted substantial effort to the curated exhibition in the China Pavilion, but objected to what they called an incorrect name for Taiwan’s participation.

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The Gwangju Biennale is very important to us, and we invested a great deal of effort in planning the curated exhibition at the China Pavilion.

“The Gwangju Biennale is very important to us, and we invested a great deal of effort in planning the curated exhibition at the China Pavilion,” they said. “However, the Gwangju Biennale’s use of an incorrect name related to Taiwan’s participation created a situation in which political factors intervened in the artistic sphere.” They said they unanimously decided to withdraw as a forceful protest.

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However, the Gwangju Biennale’s use of an incorrect name related to Taiwan’s participation created a situation in which political factors intervened in the artistic sphere.

The naming dispute has involved the Chinese and Taiwanese governments. The Gwangju Biennale Foundation reportedly agreed in January with the National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts to use “Taiwan Pavilion.” In June, the foundation instead inserted the museum’s English abbreviation, “NTMoFA,” into the pavilion’s name, reportedly reflecting Chinese demands. After Taiwan’s culture ministry and South Korean arts groups criticized that move, the foundation returned to “Taiwan Pavilion.”

Chinese Ambassador to South Korea Dai Bing met Jeonnam-Gwangju Mayor Min Hyoung-bae on Aug. 27 and expressed regret. The Chinese side says using “Taiwan” at international events treats the island as a sovereign state and violates China’s sovereignty. Gwangju and the foundation issued statements saying they respect the one-China principle and that the pavilion name represents only participating artists’ expression, not recognition of Taiwan as a country.

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The pavilion name represents only participating artists’ expression, not recognition of Taiwan as a country.

China did not accept that explanation. Zhoushan in Zhejiang province withdrew from the Yeosu World Island Expo, where it had planned to operate a promotional booth. Organizers said the city cited the recent series of issues and had originally indicated that up to 5,000 people might participate. A Guangzhou People’s Congress delegation also canceled a planned visit to Jeonnam-Gwangju on Sept. 6-7. China’s consulate in Gwangju demanded an open apology, renewed respect for the one-China principle and the immediate removal of the pavilion name.

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Gwangju should immediately correct its mistake and strictly uphold the one-China principle through practical action.