Taiwan Revokes Sakuliu Pavavaljung’s National Arts Award After Sexual Assault Conviction
Taiwan’s National Culture and Arts Foundation has revoked the National Award for Arts given to Sakuliu Pavavaljung and ordered the artist to return the NTD 1 million prize, or about $32,000, after his conviction on sexual assault charges. The move marks a rare and forceful response from one of Taiwan’s most prominent cultural bodies.
The award, established in 1997 and administered by the Taiwanese government, is among the country’s highest honors for artists. Sakuliu was recognized in the visual arts category in the award’s 20th edition, announced in 2017, as one of seven recipients. At the time, the foundation highlighted his multidisciplinary practice and its grounding in Indigenous Paiwan culture.
The case drew wider attention in 2022, when Sakuliu’s selection for the Taiwan Pavilion at the 59th Venice Biennale became the subject of public criticism after former female students accused him of rape and sexual assault in MeToo posts. A police investigation was opened in Pingtung. The Taipei Fine Arts Museum, which organized Taiwan’s collateral presentation in Venice, suspended planning for the exhibition, 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’s award website.
The revocation underscores how cultural institutions are increasingly being pressed to respond not only to artistic achievement, but also to the conduct of the artists they honor. In this case, the consequences have reached from a national prize to two of the most visible stages in contemporary art.
