In response to the controversy over the renaming of the “Taiwan Pavilion” to “National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts (NTMoFA)” at the Gwangju Biennale in South Korea, the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of China has demanded that the organizers publicly commit by no later than August 26 to fulfill their responsibilities as agreed upon.
The Ministry of Culture issued another news release today expressing strong protest against the continual obstruction by the Gwangju Biennale Foundation and the venue management unit, the National Asian Cultural Hall, using various pretexts, hindering the set-up of the “Taiwan Pavilion” as scheduled for August 18 and the exhibition of works that have already arrived in Korea. The ministry is calling on the organizers to publicly commit to fulfilling their responsibilities as agreed upon and allowing Taiwan to enter and exhibit under the name “Taiwan Pavilion.”
The ministry has issued statements on the 17th and 19th, providing a detailed account of how the National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts participated in the Gwangju Biennale under the name “Taiwan Pavilion” and was unilaterally renamed by the organizers without any discussion. The international art community and artists have also voiced their support, urging the Gwangju Biennale Foundation to revert to the name “Taiwan Pavilion.”
According to the Ministry of Culture, Taiwanese curators and artists released a statement today, gathering 36 curators and artists participating in this year’s biennale to sign an open letter titled “You Must Change Your Name,” directly accusing the Gwangju Biennale Foundation of disregarding the objections raised by the National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts against the renaming and asserting that artistic institutions should not be used as tools to suppress people’s identity. The foundation is urged to address the concerns raised publicly and restore the name “Taiwan Pavilion.”
“The Gwangju Biennale Foundation and the National Asian Cultural Hall, acting as a national institution, continue to use various contradictory, evasive, and unclear language to block Taiwan from entering the venue for set-up and exhibition according to the contract. Over the past week, the Asian Cultural Hall has insisted on receiving formal documents from the Gwangju Biennale Foundation before allowing Taiwan to enter for exhibition,” said the Ministry of Culture.
The ministry revealed that on August 19, the National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts received a copy of the letter from the Gwangju Biennale Foundation regarding the “exhibition promotion agreement and normal operation plan with participating organizations.” Despite this, the Asian Cultural Hall has continued to reject the entry of the museum, even forcefully denying entry to exhibition personnel and equipment after allowing trucks to enter the unloading channel on the 20th.
Moreover, the Asian Cultural Hall demonstrated rude behavior by inspecting phones and demanding deletion of files when the museum’s agent took photos to document the situation. The Gwangju Biennale Foundation has also sent various messages through different channels to the Ministry of Culture and the museum, including inquiries about maintaining the official promotion under the name “NTMoFA” while agreeing for the museum to exhibit under the name “Taiwan Pavilion.”
The ministry stated that the Gwangju Biennale Foundation even proposed a change of venue, offering a significantly smaller space primarily used as storage. Despite numerous unclear information and proposals, there has been no definitive decision on the name restoration and entry approval, indicating the intentions of the foundation and the Asian Cultural Hall to hinder Taiwan from completing the exhibition on time.
Regarding the actions taken by the Gwangju Biennale Foundation, the Ministry of Culture emphasized that Taiwan, Korea, and the international art and cultural communities continue to express solidarity, calling on the foundation not to decide participant names with any authority but promptly restore the name “Taiwan Pavilion.”
The ministry once again sternly demanded that the organizers immediately fulfill their contractual obligations, allowing the Taiwan Pavilion to enter the venue, the Asian Cultural Hall, as agreed upon under the original and consistent name “Taiwan Pavilion,” to prevent the “Gwangju Spirit” from being overshadowed by this visible shadow.