Gwangju Biennale loses China artists over Taiwan row

Chinese artists have withdrawn from the Gwangju Biennale in South Korea after organisers allowed an exhibition to use the name “Taiwan Pavilion”, officials said Thursday.

The biennale, one of Asia's largest contemporary art events, is due to open Saturday in the southwestern city of Gwangju. Its Pavilion Project brings together artists from around the world.

The dispute began after Taiwanese artists said organisers had initially 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. The Taiwanese artists accused organisers of political censorship.

The Gwangju Biennale foundation later restored the name “Taiwan Pavilion”. Chinese artists then halted preparations for their own pavilion and announced they would formally withdraw, according to local media footage. A foundation spokesperson told AFP that the Chinese artists were withdrawing from the biennale.

China's consulate general in Gwangju said organisers had allowed “the Taiwan region of China” to participate under a name it said was inconsistent with Taiwan's status. The consulate called it a serious violation of the One China principle and urged organisers to reverse the decision.

South Korea's foreign ministry said the government's basic position regarding Taiwan remains unchanged. It said the decision was made in the cultural and artistic sphere and was unrelated to South Korea's position on Taiwan, adding that it hoped the issue would not affect South Korea-China relations.