Taiwanese Indigenous artist stripped of national prize after sexual assault conviction – UK Times

Taiwan has revoked a national arts prize from Indigenous artist Sakuliu Pavavaljung after his conviction for sexual assault was upheld by the country’s highest court.

The ministry of culture and the National Culture and Arts Foundation announced on 17 April that the national award for arts granted to Pavavaljung in 2018 had been withdrawn. He has also been ordered to return the accompanying NT$1m (£23,538) prize, according to Art Asia Pacific.

The decision followed a ruling by Taiwan’s Supreme Court on 1 April this year, which dismissed Pavavaljung’s appeal and upheld a sentence of four years and six months in prison for “forcible sexual intercourse”, Focus Taiwan reported.

The case stems from a February 2021 incident involving a woman who was under his artistic mentorship at the time. The Pingtung District Court found Pavavaljung guilty in January 2025 and said he had violated her sexual autonomy and caused severe psychological harm.

He appealed the ruling, but the high court upheld the sentence before the Supreme Court rejected his final appeal this month.

Allegations against Pavavaljung first became public in December 2021 after a Taiwanese artist shared an account on social media describing an assault by an unnamed Paiwan artist, according to Artnet News. The post prompted further accusations, including from another woman who said Pavavaljung had attempted to assault her in 2006. The Paiwan are the second-largest Indigenous group in Taiwan.

The National Award for Arts, established in 1997 and administered by the government, is one of Taiwan’s most prestigious honours for artists across disciplines. Pavavaljung was one of seven recipients of the award’s 20th edition in 2018, in the visual arts category for a multidisciplinary practice rooted in Paiwan Indigenous culture.

The revocation marks the first instance in which a national arts honour has been withdrawn following the introduction of disqualification provisions linked to the Me Too movement in 2023.

Pavavaljung’s name has since been removed from the award’s official website.

A member of Taiwan’s Paiwan Indigenous community, Pavavaljung has worked across painting, sculpture, ceramics, and architecture, and is known for a practice rooted in the preservation and revitalisation of Paiwan cultural traditions. Born into a family of artisans, his work drew on inherited craft traditions and included public art and community projects that passed on Paiwan skills and knowledge.

The Taipei Fine Arts Museum, which organises Taiwan’s presentation at the Venice Biennale, announced in January 2022 that Pavavaljung would no longer represent the country. In a statement, the museum said the decision had been taken “in order to maintain Taiwan’s international diplomatic image and reputation and to avoid detracting from discussions of artistic expression at the Taiwan Pavilion”.

His participation in Documenta 15 in Kassel, Germany was also suspended and later withdrawn.

At the time, an online petition signed by 1,152 art workers called for accountability and urged institutions to stop working with him unless his name was cleared.