TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwanese artists and curators on Saturday issued a joint statement protesting political censorship by the organizers of the Gwangju Biennale after the word “Taiwan” was removed from materials listing country pavilions.
The 10 artists and curators invited to participate in the exhibition expressed dissatisfaction with the name change and said organizers of the biennale had ignored repeated protests calling for the issue to be addressed, per LTN.
The 16th Gwangju Biennale is scheduled to run from Sept. 5 to Nov. 15. The National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts proposed participating in the event for the first time under the name “Taiwan Pavilion.” However, the biennale listed Taiwan's participation as “NTMOFA,” an abbreviation for the National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts.
The Ministry of Culture said it has instructed Taiwan's overseas offices and the National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts to lodge a protest while evaluating possible responses to the dispute. The ministry said the museum had consistently used the name “Taiwan Pavilion” in communications with the organizers from the initial exhibition proposal, contract signing, and preparations for the event.
The artists issued a statement titled “The Censored Taiwan Pavilion,” criticizing the Gwangju Biennale Foundation for failing to respond adequately to repeated protests and negotiations by the museum.
“We believe that a biennale whose history is based on democracy, human rights, and the Gwangju spirit has a responsibility to explain why participants' self-naming must face political restrictions,” the statement said.
The artists also condemned what they called “political censorship of art exhibitions” by the Gwangju Biennale Foundation. “The disappearance of the Taiwan Pavilion is not unique, nor will it be an isolated case,” the statement said, arguing that the removal of the name represented not only the erasure of a name but also a threat to freedom of expression and the global art community.
The statement was signed by 10 Taiwanese artists and curators: Cheng Ting-ting (鄭亭亭), Su Hui-yu (蘇匯宇), Lee Yi-fan (李亦凡), Juan Po-yuan (阮柏遠), Lin Yu-liang (林瑜亮), Chang Wen-hsuan (張紋瑄), Hsu Che-yu (許哲瑜), Chen Hsiang-wen (陳湘汶), Chen Wan-yin (陳琬尹), and Cheng Hsien-yu (鄭先喻).
Organizers changed the name earlier this month but have yet to publicly respond to the namming controversy. With about three weeks remaining before the biennale opens, the participating artists have expressed concern that the dispute could affect preparations and the installation of their works.
