A local Korean bookstore and 20 arts groups are publicly siding with Taiwan after the Gwangju Biennale changed the name of its Taiwan Pavilion — a rare show of grassroots support, but the dispute has frozen the exhibit's setup.

• The Biennale, opening September 5, renamed the "Taiwan Pavilion" to the National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts, sparking an uproar.
• Taiwan's curators and contractors still cannot get into the Asia Culture Center to install the show, leaving the standoff unresolved.
• The Gwangju bookstore "Boy's Books" issued repeated statements backing Taiwan and joined a joint declaration with 20 other local arts groups.
• Its owner, Lin Ren-tzu, rejected the Biennale foundation's claim that national pavilions need embassy or culture-ministry approval, asking whether art should require a government's permission at all.
• Gwangju, home to the 1980 pro-democracy uprising, carries symbolic weight here — the bookstore's door reads that democracy must be defended by citizens themselves.

Outlook: With the opening days away and the pavilion still locked out, pressure is building on the Biennale to reverse the name change or face a boycott-style backlash from its own arts community.