Gwangju Biennale Opens Without China’s Pavilion
Amidst a diplomatic storm over Taiwan, the Gwangju Biennale returns with a sprawling 16th edition of contemporary art
_Teapot%2520and%2520Scrolls%2520(During%2520Trip%2520to%2520Mokpo).jpg%3F2026-09-07T16%3A16%3A41.826Z&w=3840&q=100)
Teapot and Scrolls (During Trip to Mokpo), 1960, ink on paper, 33 × 129 cm. Courtesy of Uijae Museum of Korean Art.
The 2026 Gwangju Biennale, one of the oldest contemporary art exhibitions on the Asian continent, opened its doors last week, welcoming in galleries, artists and collectors at the Gwangju Biennale Exhibition Hall in Jungoe Park. Running until 15 November, the 16th edition takes its title You Must Change Your Life, from Rainer Maria Rilke’s poem Archaic Torso of Apollo.
This year’s Biennale opened under the shadow of a diplomatic dispute surrounding its Pavilion Project, which has become the latest stage for the complex politics of Taiwan’s international representation. Following accusations of censorship by artists participating in the Taiwan Pavilion after promotional materials labeled them the ‘NTMoFA Pavilion’ (after the National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts), the Gwangju Biennale Foundation reinstated the former designation, sparking anger from China’s curatorial team. Arguing that the use of “Taiwan Pavilion” violated the one-China principle, they announced their withdrawal from the Pavilion Project just a few days before the opening.
The controversy hasn’t kept visitors from flocking to the main exhibition hall and the 27 remaining national pavilions scattered throughout the city. First launched in 1995, the Biennale remains the most important event for curatorial experimentation in Korea’s cultural calendar, an enduring counterpoint to the more market-oriented approach of Frieze Seoul and the Korea International Art Fair (KIAF).
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