In a landmark move, Taiwan’s National Culture and Arts Foundation has revoked the National Award for Arts given to artist Sakuliu Pavavaljung in 2018 and instructed him to return the NTD 1 million ($32,000) prize following his conviction on sexual assault charges, Art Asia Pacific reports.
Established in 1997 and administered by the Taiwanese government, the award is one of the nation’s most prestigious honors bestowed to artists. Sakuliu was one of seven artists recognized in the award’s 20th edition, announced in 2017, in the visual arts category. At the time, the foundation praised his multidisciplinary practice, which draws on Indigenous Paiwan culture.
Controversy erupted following Sakuliu’s selection for the Taiwan Pavilion at the 59th Venice Biennale in 2022, when he was accused of rape and sexual assault in a series of social media posts by former female students using the hashtag #MeToo. A police investigation was opened in Pingtung. Sakuliu denied all allegations and maintained that he would participate in Venice and in Documenta 15, another major exhibition scheduled to open in Kassel, Germany, that same year.
However, the Taipei Fine Arts Museum, which organized Taiwan’s collateral exhibition at the Venice Biennale, suspended planning for the event, while Documenta 15 withdrew his participation pending the outcome of the investigation. Sakuliu was ultimately found guilty and sentenced to 4.5 years in prison for forcible sexual intercourse.
The Supreme Court upheld the ruling on April 1. His name has since been removed from the foundation award’s website.
