A Pavilion was under Censorship

We are the curator and artists invited to take part in the “Taiwan Pavilion” at the 2026 Gwangju Biennale. Initiated by the National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts (NTMoFA), the exhibition brings together one Taiwanese curator and a number of Taiwanese artists.

In August, the Gwangju Biennale released its official poster for its Pavilion Project. Participating institutions and national pavilions were presented under their respective names, with one exception: the Taiwan Pavilion. The exhibition proposal submitted by the National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts under the name “Taiwan Pavilion,” and accepted as such by the Gwangju Biennale Foundation, was unilaterally renamed “NTMoFA,” without the consent of the participating team, and brutally erased Taiwan from the poster. Throughout this incident, the Gwangju Biennale Foundation disregarded repeated objections and attempts at negotiation by the National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts.

We believe that a biennale whose historical foundations are rooted in democracy, human rights, and the spirit of Gwangju has a responsibility to explain why participants’ right to name and identify themselves must be subjected to political restrictions. We therefore strongly condemn the Gwangju Biennale Foundation’s political censorship of an art exhibition.

More and more, we are witnessing fellow artists across the international art world having their works altered or removed because of their nationality, gender, faith, or political positions. At the same time, major powers are increasingly using diplomatic pressure and economic resources to interfere beyond their borders. The erasure of the Taiwan Pavilion in Gwangju is neither exceptional nor likely to be an isolated case. This goes beyond the removal of a name. It is a threat to freedom of expression and to the global artistic community. Through this statement, we stand in solidarity with all artists and cultural workers who have been, are being, or will be subjected to political censorship.

With only 10 days until the opening of the 16th Gwangju Biennale, our artworks for the Taiwan Pavilion remain packed in shipping containers, while our team has still not been allowed into our designated exhibition venue to begin installation. We refuse to accept the ongoing obstruction of our work. Gwangju Biennale Foundation changed the pavilion name without consent, and Asia Culture Center (ACC) has twice instructed our installation contractor not to deliver the artworks to the venue.

Both the 16th Gwangju Biennale and the ACC are using “administrative error” as an excuse to evade their institutional responsibilities and avoid accountability.

With only 10 days remaining until the opening of the 16th Gwangju Biennale, the artworks and equipment for the Taiwan Pavilion are still being denied access to the designated venue, the Asia Culture Center (ACC). Following the erasure of the name “Taiwan Pavilion” by the Gwangju Biennale Foundation, the ACC has, since August 18, repeatedly refused to grant our team access to the exhibition space as promised, leaving us seven days behind our original installation schedule and severely undermining the Taiwan Pavilion’s right to participate in the Biennale as planned.

The erasure of the Taiwan Pavilion has drawn international media attention and sparked backlash from the art community. International and local cultural organizations have issued statements expressing their support for the Taiwan Pavilion. To date, 36 curators and artists participating in this year’s Gwangju Biennale have officially signed a joint petition organized by the Taiwan Pavilion, including artists and curators from the Main Exhibition and eleven pavilion projects (1646, Asakusa, Koganecho, France, Indonesia, Italy, IVAE, Malta, Poland, Stateless, and UCCN). The petition calls on the Gwangju Biennale Foundation to immediately respond to public concerns and restore the name “Taiwan Pavilion” as originally agreed.