The indigenous Taiwanese artist Sakuliu Pavavaljung has been convicted of rape and sentenced to four and a half years in prison.
Pingtung District Court heard how Sakuliu first welcomed the victim, described as a ‘fan’ of the artist, to his studio on 9 February 2021. In the early hours of the following morning, the artist suggested an excursion to the Dashi Canyon, where the pair camped near a stream. The attack occurred at this point.
Sakuliu Pavavaljung was born into the Pulima of the Malang clan in the village of Tjavadran, the oldest indigenous village of the northern Paiwan Raval nation, famed for its craft traditions.
The accusation of rape came in 2021 after the artist was announced as representing Taiwan at the Venice Biennale. He was subsequently replaced by Yuan Goang-Ming in the 2024 exhibition. Sakuliu’s partcipation in Documenta 15 in 2022 was also cancelled.
