Indigenous Taiwanese Artist Convicted of Sexual Assault
By ANNETTE MEIER
Portrait of SAKULIU PAVAVALJUNG. Photo by Wenyen Wang. Courtesy The Reporter, Taipei.
On January 16, Taiwan’s Pingtung District Court sentenced Paiwan artist Sakuliu Pavavaljung to four years and six months in prison for sexually assaulting a female fan in 2021.
Pavavaljung was indicted in September 2022 in Pingtung County, southern Taiwan, after several accusations of sexual assault and rape surfaced against him on social media a year prior. As the posts circulated online, the artist released a statement denying the allegations, but he was later dropped from various high-profile projects such as his presentation at the Taiwan Pavilion for the 59th Venice Biennale, and his participation in Kassel’s documenta fifteen.
According to court documents, the case dates back to February 9, 2021, when Pavavaljung had sexually assaulted a young female fan after inviting her to his home in Pingtung County. Following a nearly four-year investigation, the Pingtung District Court found Pavavaljung guilty as charged, citing his failure to exercise self-control, violation of the victim’s sexual autonomy, and for causing her severe psychological harm and trauma.
As it stands, Pavavaljung retains the right to appeal the conviction.
Annette Meier is an editorial assistant at ArtAsiaPacific.
