Taiwan’s Supreme Court upholds artist Sakuliu Pavavalong’s rape conviction

Taiwan’s Supreme Court upheld a rape conviction against Sakuliu Pavavalong earlier this month, prompting the country’s National Culture and Arts Foundation to revoke the National Award for Arts given to him in 2018.

Pavavalong was previously sentenced to four years and six months in prison for raping a female student in February 2021. Taiwan’s Supreme Court rejected his appeal on April 1.

“As the verdict in the Sakuliu Pavavalong case has now become final and conclusive, this Association has initiated the procedure to revoke his honorary status as a National Award for Arts recipient,” the foundation said in a statement on April 17.

“Consequently, his profile has been removed from the official National Award for Arts website, and he will be required to return the award certificate, the trophy, and the prize money of NT$1 million.”

Art Asia Pacific first reported the news, noting this is the first time a national honor has been revoked under the 2023 “MeToo” disqualification rules. After the allegations surfaced, Pavavalong was also slated to represent Taiwan at the 59th Venice Biennale, which was cancelled at the time.

When Pavavalong—an Indigenous Taiwanese artist of Paiwan descent—was presented the award in 2018, the foundation praised him as a “pivotal figure in the Indigenous Rights Movement.” He was celebrated for his work in preserving and re-creating traditional cultural traditions in his contemporary artistic practice.

“Delivering his acceptance speech in his native tribal tongue, Sakuliu observed that Indigenous peoples—who live in intimate harmony with the land—have traditionally transmitted their life experiences to the next generation through memory, oral tradition, and embodied practice,” the foundation said at the time.

“Yet, he noted with poignancy, individuals who embody this way of life have become a rare sight in the modern era. He hopes to use aesthetics to educate the next generation, allowing the nourishment of beauty to flourish and once again revitalize this land.”

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