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🇸🇬 Singapore /Culture & Society

Chinese artists withdraw from South Korean exhibition over Taiwan naming dispute

From The Straits Times · () English

Translated from English and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

Newswire Named sources Ongoing story
  • Chinese artists formally withdrew from the Gwangju Biennale after organisers agreed to restore the name “Taiwan Pavilion” for a Taiwanese exhibition.
  • China’s consulate-general in Gwangju called the decision a serious violation of the One China principle.
  • South Korea’s foreign ministry said the cultural decision did not reflect a change in its position on Taiwan and should not affect bilateral relations.

A naming dispute over Taiwan has prompted Chinese artists to pull out of one of Asia’s biggest contemporary art events, just days before it opens in South Korea.

The Gwangju Biennale is scheduled to open on September 5. Its Pavilion Project brings artists from around the world to venues across the southwestern city. The dispute began when Taiwanese artists said organisers had agreed to call their exhibition the “Taiwan Pavilion”, then changed the name in June to “NTMoFA”, the acronym for Taiwan’s National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts.

Without the consent of the participating team, and brutally erased Taiwan from the poster

· Taiwanese artistsThe artists criticized organisers after the exhibition name was changed from Taiwan Pavilion to NTMoFA.

The Taiwanese artists accused organisers of political censorship in a joint statement issued in August. They said the change came “without the consent of the participating team, and brutally erased Taiwan from the poster”. The biennale foundation reversed course last week and agreed to restore the original name.

We have confirmation the Chinese artists are withdrawing from the biennale.

· Gwangju Biennale Foundation spokespersonThe foundation confirmed the Chinese artists’ formal withdrawal.

China, which claims Taiwan as part of its territory and has threatened to use force to annex the self-ruled island, objected to the restored name. Chinese artists halted preparations for their own pavilion and announced their formal withdrawal on September 3, according to local media footage. A foundation spokesperson told AFP, “We have confirmation the Chinese artists are withdrawing from the biennale.”

China’s consulate-general in Gwangju said organisers had allowed “the Taiwan region of China” to participate under a name inconsistent with its status. “This constitutes a serious violation of the One China principle,” it said, urging the organisers to correct what it called their wrongdoing.

This constitutes a serious violation of the One China principle

· Chinese consulate-general in GwangjuChina condemned the restoration of the Taiwan Pavilion name.

South Korea’s foreign ministry sought to contain the dispute. It said the government’s basic position on Taiwan remained unchanged and that the naming decision belonged to the cultural and artistic sphere, not the government’s Taiwan policy. “We hope that this issue will not affect South Korea-China relations or exchanges and cooperation between the two countries,” the ministry said.

We hope that this issue will not affect South Korea-China relations or exchanges and cooperation between the two countries.

· South Korean foreign ministryThe ministry urged that the cultural dispute not damage bilateral ties.
About this summary

Originally published by The Straits Times in English. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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