China withdrew from South Korea’s Gwangju Biennale this morning, September 3, just nine days after event organizers restored the title of “Taiwan Pavilion” to a group show featuring Taiwanese artists. The announcement, which was first reported by the Korea Times, comes two days before the scheduled opening of the 16th edition of the biennale.
Rifts between Taiwan, China, and event organizers surged in mid-August after the biennale axed the name of “Taiwan Pavilion” in their promotional materials and replaced it with the English acronym for the National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts, “NTMoFA.” Organizers initially refused the name reversal demanded by Taiwan’s Ministry of Culture and participating artists, who condemned the change as political censorship, but later reversed their decision on August 25.
Responding to the name reinstatement, Chinese curator Ruan Yuelai announced the China Pavilion’s unanimous withdrawal during a Thursday morning press conference.
“The Gwangju Biennale’s use of an incorrect name concerning the participation of the China and Taiwan regions has brought about a situation in which political factors intervene in the domain of art,” Ruan said during the press conference.
Per the Korea Times, Chinese artists had already ceased preparations for the pavilion several days before the announcement.
