The controversy over the change in the name of the “Taiwan Pavilion” ahead of the opening of the 16th Gwangju Biennale has been resolved with the Gwangju Biennale Foundation accepting the Taiwanese side’s request.
 
On August 25, the Gwangju Biennale Foundation announced that, after reviewing an application submitted by the National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts (NTMoFA), it had approved the pavilion name as “Taiwan Pavilion,” replacing the previous designation “NTMoFA.”
 
The controversy began when the name originally designated as “Taiwan Pavilion” in the 16th Gwangju Biennale’s Pavilion Project was changed to “NTMoFA,” the abbreviation for the National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts.

The Taiwanese side argued that although it had submitted its proposal under the name “Taiwan Pavilion” earlier this year, signed a contract with the foundation, and proceeded with preparations for the exhibition, the name was changed without prior consultation.
 
In response, participating curators and artists issued a joint statement condemning the name change as “political censorship” and calling for the original name to be restored. Voices from both the Taiwanese and Korean art communities, including the Gwangju People’s Artists Association, also joined in calling for the restoration of the name “Taiwan Pavilion.”
 
Meanwhile, the Gwangju Biennale Foundation previously issued an official statement refuting the allegations, characterizing the dispute as a difference of opinion over administrative procedures concerning the participation format and naming conventions, and emphasizing that “there was no intervention or censorship of the exhibition’s curatorial planning or content.”

The controversy also delayed the delivery and installation of artworks, which had been scheduled to begin on August 18. The National Asian Culture Center (ACC), where the works were to be installed, stated that it would be difficult to provide the venue until the Gwangju Biennale Foundation and NTMoFA reached an agreement on the pavilion’s name.
 
In response, the Gwangju Biennale Foundation entered into renewed discussions with NTMoFA to ensure the smooth progress of the exhibition and decided to operate the pavilion in the form of a national pavilion.
 
A foundation representative stated, “We will also coordinate with the ACC to ensure that the installation and exhibition of the pavilion proceed without disruption.”
 
Meanwhile, the 16th Gwangju Biennale, titled “You must change your life,” will take place from September 5 to November 15 at venues throughout Gwangju, including the Gwangju Biennale Exhibition Hall.

References

• 연합뉴스, 광주비엔날레, 대만 파빌리온 수용…"명칭 변경 승인", 2026.08.25