China protests Gwangju Biennale's use of 'Taiwan Pavilion', withdraws from exhibition
Chinese participants in the Gwangju Biennale 2026 withdrew from the art exhibition Thursday, two days before the scheduled opening, in protest of the organizer's decision to allow Taiwanese participants to use the name "Taiwan Pavilion." Chinese Pavilion curator Ruan Yuelai said the Chinese participants "cannot accept this" and have unanimously decided to withdraw from the exhibition as a strong…
Chinese artists participating in the Gwangju Biennale 2026 abruptly withdrew from the exhibition on Thursday, just two days prior to its opening, in response to the organizers' decision to permit Taiwanese artists to utilize the term "Taiwan Pavilion". Chinese Pavilion curator Ruan Yuelai announced that her fellow Chinese participants could not accept this decision and had unanimously chosen to withdraw from the event as a strong expression of protest.
Ruan emphasized at a press conference held at the Ha Jungwoong Museum of Art in Gwangju that the Chinese had invested significant effort into preparing for the biennale and were disappointed by the organizers' actions. The Gwangju Biennale organizers had mistakenly used the incorrect name in connection with Taiwan's participation, allowing politics to intrude into the artistic realm.
The Chinese Embassy in Seoul supported the withdrawal through an official statement, asserting that permitting the name "Taiwan Pavilion" contravenes the "One China" principle that Korea has pledged to respect. Both the Chinese Consulate General in Gwangju and the Korean embassy had previously communicated with both the Jeonnam-Gwangju Special Metropolitan City and the biennale organizers regarding this issue.
Written by urgent.news from The Korea Times's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
