Overview
- The biennale's official poster and program list the National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts as “NTMoFA” rather than “Taiwan Pavilion,” a change that artists first publicly challenged on Aug. 15.
- The Gwangju Biennale Foundation said on Wednesday that the relabeling was an administrative classification of a participating institution and denied any political censorship.
- Taiwan's Ministry of Culture says the museum applied, won approval and signed a contract under the name “Taiwan Pavilion,” and it lodged a formal protest on Aug. 20 after organizers began using “NTMoFA.”
- The pavilion’s curator and participating artists call the move unilateral censorship and have been joined by South Korean artist groups demanding the restoration of the name, a full explanation of the decision process, and an apology.
- The dispute highlights tensions over how Taiwan is named at international events, recalls prior incidents where Taiwanese shows were reclassified or canceled, and risks diplomatic and reputational fallout for the biennale before its Sept. 5 opening.