To the Gwangju Biennale Foundation:
On August 15, the curator and artists participating in the Taiwan Pavilion at the 16th Gwangju Biennale made a joint statement criticizing the Gwangju Biennale Foundation for changing the exhibition’s original designation “Taiwan Pavilion” to “NTMoFA Pavilion” (the acronym for the National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts) without the consent of the Taiwan Pavilion team. The statement also pointed out that the Foundation had disregarded repeated objections from the National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts.
As participants in this edition of the Gwangju Biennale, we support their statement.
Art institutions should not become instruments for suppressing how people identify themselves. When participants’ right to name themselves is subjected to institutional restrictions without sufficient explanation, this is more than an administrative matter. It also concerns who has the right to decide how a group is represented in public space.
We hold deep respect for the history of Gwangju. It is precisely for this reason that we are especially concerned about this dispute over naming. We believe that the Gwangju Biennale Foundation has a responsibility to respond to the concerns that have been raised publicly and to reinstate the name “Taiwan Pavilion.”