Gwangju Biennale chief calls for separating China-Taiwan politics from art

Gwangju Biennale organizers urged the exhibition to be viewed separately from political disputes as tensions over the Taiwan Pavilion overshadowed the event in Jeonnam-Gwangju Special Metropolitan City on Friday, the day before opening. Gwangju Biennale Foundation president Youn Bum-mo apologized for the controversy and defended the original process as an institution-to-institution agreement. Artistic director Ho Tzu Nyen also said the core exhibition should remain separate from the pavilion dispute. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the naming decision was made by the private sector and does not reflect the government’s Taiwan stance.

Chinese artists and organizers announced their withdrawal on Thursday after the use of the name Taiwan Pavilion sparked objections.

Youn Bum-mo said the Taiwanese side first applied under C-LAB before shifting to the National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts.

The Gwangju Biennale Foundation said the only legally binding document was an agreement between two institutions.

The Jeonnam-Gwangju Special Metropolitan City Government said a scheduled visit by a delegation from the Standing Committee of the Guangzhou Municipal People’s Congress was canceled on Friday.

Published Sep 4, 2026 4:28 pm KST

Updated Sep 4, 2026 5:35 pm KST

Youn Bum-mo, president of the Gwangju Biennale Foundation, speaks during a press conference at the Gwangju Biennale Exhibition Hall in Jeonnam-Gwangju Special Metropolitan City, Friday. Yonhap

As diplomatic tension over the Taiwan Pavilion threatens to overshadow the Gwangju Biennale, organizers of Asia’s premier contemporary art event appealed for the exhibition to be viewed separately from political disputes.

The controversy centers on the decision by the organizers to use the name "Taiwan Pavilion" for a project organized by the National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts.

The move prompted Chinese artists and organizers to announce their withdrawal from the exhibition on Thursday, arguing that the title brought political issues into the cultural field.

Youn Bum-mo, president of the Gwangju Biennale Foundation, expressed deep regret over the situation while defending the foundation’s original administrative process.

"It is truly regrettable that we have reached this situation, and I am deeply sorry," Youn said during a press conference held at the Gwangju Biennale Exhibition Hall in Jeonnam-Gwangju Special Metropolitan City, Friday, the day before the 72-day event opens.

"We wanted the Chinese Pavilion to participate until the end, and it is very disappointing that it led to their withdrawal."

Youn clarified that the foundation originally signed an agreement with an artistic institution rather than a national entity.

"To state the facts, the Taiwanese side initially applied under C-LAB, a small-scale institution, which later shifted to the National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts," the president said.

"The only legally binding document signed between the Taiwanese side and our foundation was an agreement between two institutions. It was strictly an institution-to-institution agreement."

However, different opinions came up among local and international artists about what to name the pavilion.

"We were deeply concerned that this issue might spark a diplomatic dispute with China," Youn said. "We have consistently maintained that we are an art institution. Art is art, and politics is politics. We urged everyone not to overlap the two and emphasized that this is a pure art event."

The president added that the foundation plans to overhaul its system in future editions to avoid confusion over national and institutional representations.

Ho Tzu Nyen, the Singaporean artistic director of Gwangju Biennale, speaks during a press conference in Jeonnam-Gwangju Special Metropolitan City, Friday. Yonhap

Addressing the situation, Ho Tzu Nyen, the Singaporean artistic director of the event, called for attention to remain on the core artistic works and the participating teams.

"I think first and foremost it is important to clarify that the main exhibition which we are involved in is completely separate from the operation of the pavilion," Ho said. "This is often confused even by journalists and other professionals."

The artistic director said political disputes often take public focus away from the art itself.

"Human attention seems always drawn to change that happens violently, change that happens suddenly," Ho said. "Against the world of politics, the power of art sometimes seems weak and powerless, but I believe otherwise that art has power, and that power extends over long durations."

Ho emphasized that the core intention of this year's biennale is to encourage viewers to slow down and connect with the nature of art.

"Art transforms humans in a profound, slow and enduring way," Ho said. "I believe we are all gathered here today for art, and I hope we can respect what art is."

The diplomatic friction has also drawn responses from national authorities. On Thursday, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs reaffirmed its respect for the "One China" policy, while emphasizing that the naming decision was made independently by the private sector in the cultural field and does not reflect the government's official stance on Taiwan.

However, the dispute quickly expanded beyond the exhibition venue. On Friday, the Jeonnam-Gwangju Special Metropolitan City Government confirmed that a scheduled visit by a delegation from the Standing Committee of the Guangzhou Municipal People's Congress was canceled.

China protests Gwangju Biennale's use of 'Taiwan Pavilion', withdraws from exhibition

光州双年展主办方呼吁公众将展览与政治纷争分开看待。此前，围绕台湾馆的紧张局势在周五（开幕前一天）笼罩了全南光州特别都会区的双年展。光州双年展基金会主席尹范模就争议致歉，并辩称最初的流程是机构间的协议。艺术总监何子年也表示，展览的核心内容应与展馆争议保持独立。外交部则表示，展馆命名是由民间团体做出的决定，并不代表政府对台湾的立场。

周四，由于“台湾馆”这一名称的使用引发争议，中国艺术家和组织者宣布退出。

尹范模表示，台方最初向C-LAB提出申请，之后才转而向国立台湾美术馆提出申请。

光州双年展基金会表示，唯一具有法律约束力的文件是两家机构之间的协议。

全南光州特区政府周五宣布，广州市人大常委会代表团原定访问该市的行程取消。

发布于2026年9月4日下午4:28（韩国标准时间）

更新于2026年9月4日下午5:35（韩国标准时间）

光州双年展基金会会长尹范模周五在全南光州特别广域市光州双年展展览馆举行的新闻发布会上发表讲话。（韩联社）

由于围绕台湾馆的外交紧张局势有可能使光州双年展黯然失色，亚洲顶级当代艺术盛会的组织者呼吁人们将展览与政治争端分开看待。

争议的焦点在于主办方决定将国立台湾美术馆组织的这个项目命名为“台湾馆”。

此举促使中国艺术家和组织者于周四宣布退出该展览，他们认为该展览的标题将政治问题带入了文化领域。

光州双年展基金会会长尹范模对这种情况表示深切遗憾，同时捍卫了基金会原有的行政程序。

“我们走到今天这一步，实在令人遗憾，我深感抱歉。”尹在周五于全罗南道光州特别广域市光州双年展展览馆举行的新闻发布会上说道，当时距离为期72天的双年展开幕还有一天。

“我们原本希望中国馆能够坚持到最后，但最终却导致他们退出，这让我们非常失望。”

Youn澄清说，该基金会最初是与一家艺术机构而不是国家实体签署协议的。

“事实是，台方最初是通过小型机构C-LAB提出申请，后来才转到国立台湾美术馆，”总统说。

“台湾方面与我们基金会之间签署的唯一具有法律约束力的文件是两机构之间的协议。这完全是机构之间的协议。”

然而，对于展馆的命名，本地和国际艺术家们却提出了不同的意见。

“我们深感担忧，这个问题可能会引发与中国的外交争端，”尹先生说。“我们始终坚持，我们是一家艺术机构。艺术就是艺术，政治就是政治。我们呼吁大家不要将二者混为一谈，并强调这是一场纯粹的艺术活动。”

总统补充说，该基金会计划在未来的版本中对其系统进行全面改革，以避免对国家和机构代表产生混淆。

新加坡籍光州双年展艺术总监何子年周五在全罗南道光州特别广域市举行的新闻发布会上发表讲话。（韩联社）

针对这种情况，本次活动的新加坡艺术总监何子年呼吁大家将注意力集中在核心艺术作品和参赛团队上。

“我认为首先必须澄清的是，我们参与的主展览与展馆的运营完全是两回事，”何先生说。“这一点经常被记者和其他专业人士混淆。”

艺术总监表示，政治纷争往往会分散公众对艺术本身的注意力。

“人们的注意力似乎总是被剧烈的、突如其来的变化所吸引，”何说。“在政治世界面前，艺术的力量有时显得微弱无力，但我相信艺术并非如此，它拥有力量，而且这种力量可以持续很长时间。”

何先生强调，今年双年展的核心目的是鼓励观众放慢脚步，与艺术的本质建立联系。

“艺术以一种深刻、缓慢而持久的方式改变着人类，”何先生说。“我相信我们今天聚集在这里都是为了艺术，我希望我们能够尊重艺术的本质。”

此次外交摩擦也引起了国家当局的回应。周四，外交部重申尊重“一个中国”政策，同时强调此次命名决定是文化领域民间团体独立做出的，并不反映政府对台湾的官方立场。

然而，这场争端很快蔓延到展览场地之外。周五，全南光州特区政府证实，广州市人大常委会代表团原定的访问行程已被取消。

中国抗议光州双年展使用“台湾馆”，并退出展览。