Gwangju Biennale in South Korea Renames 'Taiwan Pavilion'—MOFA Protests: Negotiations Ongoing with Organizers and Gwangju City

The Gwangju Biennale, a contemporary art exhibition in South Korea, is set to open in September but has sparked controversy over alleged political censorship. The Taiwan Pavilion has been renamed to 'NTMoFA'—the English acronym for the National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts—and all references to 'Taiwan' have been erased from digital materials and official posters. In response, ten Taiwanese artists and curators have issued a joint statement condemning the move.

The ten invited Taiwanese artists and curators pointed out that in the official poster released by the Gwangju Biennale in August, all participating institutions and national pavilions were accurately represented—except for Taiwan. The National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts originally proposed the name 'Taiwan Pavilion,' which was accepted by the Gwangju Biennale Foundation. However, without prior notice or consent from the Taiwanese team, the name was unilaterally changed to 'NTMoFA.' This has been widely perceived as an effective erasure of Taiwan from the posters and official communications.

On the 15th, the artists and curators issued a joint statement titled 'The Censored Taiwan Pavilion,' strongly condemning political censorship by the foundation. They questioned, 'How can a biennale, founded on the principles of democracy, human rights, and the Gwangju Spirit, justify politically restricting participants’ right to self-identification?' The statement criticized the foundation for ignoring repeated protests and negotiations from the National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts.

In response, Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) stated on the 16th that upon learning of the issue in early July, its office in Busan immediately sent a formal letter to the organizers expressing protest and Taiwan's firm position. MOFA added that it has been coordinating with the National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts to continue negotiations with the organizing committee and the Gwangju City government. MOFA will work with the Ministry of Culture to handle the matter appropriately and provide public updates at the right time.