광주비엔날레 ‘대만’ 명칭에 중국 철수…양안 갈등 불똥 튄 예술행사

In 2014, the 'Seowolwool' exhibition incident left the Guangzhou Biennale struggling, and this year it is facing difficulties due to the 'Taiwan Pavilion' name issue. On the 28th, Chinese workers at the 16th Guangzhou Biennale Special Pavilion (parlour) installation site at the Guanju Museum of Art (formerly Guanju City Museum of Art) stopped working after a temporary halt on the 16th.

The Guangzhou Biennale has been operating special pavilions for foreign countries and institutions since 2018, but this year it includes China and Taiwan, the first time both have participated simultaneously. The opening ceremony is scheduled for April 4th, and the exhibition runs from November 5th to November 15th. Chinese workers decided to withdraw from the exhibition due to the 'Taiwan Pavilion' name usage, according to the Guangzhou Biennale.

This controversy surfaced in June when the Guangzhou Biennale Foundation mentioned the 'Taiwan Pavilion' expression in a written agreement with National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts in January. The Special Pavilion is divided into national pavilions and institutional pavilions, but the latter is classified as an institutional pavilion and must be named as such in announcements.

Taiwan's Culture Ministry vehemently opposed the name change and requested a response by the 12th, but the Guangzhou Biennale did not respond in time, intensifying the conflict. Local art organizations also voiced their opposition, accusing the Biennale of applying different standards to Taiwan and engaging in diplomatic pressure against Taiwan.

In response, the Guangzhou Biennale approved using 'Taiwan Pavilion' for the National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts exhibition on the 25th. Taiwan's Culture Ministry declared on the 26th that the controversy had been resolved. However, China retaliated by expressing regret over the Taiwan Pavilion name approval in a meeting with Jeonseongbae, the mayor of Jeonju, the capital of South Chungcheong Province.

China's stance, which argues that using the 'Taiwan' name in international events violates its national sovereignty, highlights the strong desire to isolate Taiwan diplomatically. In light of this pressure, the Olympic team from Taiwan used the name 'Chinese Taipei' and did not display the national flag. In response to China's pressure, Guangzhou Biennale Foundation Executive Director Yu Banmo vowed to continue convincing the Chinese side to allow the exhibition to proceed normally.