Paiwan artist Sakuliu Pavavaljung yesterday denied that he sexually assaulted a teenage girl, following a description of an assault posted online last week that led to speculation that he had been involved in such an incident and local prosecutors launching an investigation.
Pavavaljung, who received a National Award for Art in 2017, said that the incident depicted in the Facebook post never happened.
“I did not do what the online story alleges,” 61-year-old Pavavaljung said. “I will clear things up when I talk to judicial authorities about the matter.”
On Thursday last week, artist Kuo Yu-ping (郭俞平) posted online a piece titled “Story
The Pingtung District Prosecutors’ Office on Tuesday said it had launched an investigation into sexual assault allegations made on social media against Sakuliu Pavavaljung, a Paiwan artist who received a National Award for Art in 2017.
The announcement came a day after the National Culture and Arts Foundation and the Taipei Fine Arts Museum canceled Pavavaljung’s sponsorships for next year’s Venice Bienniale in Italy and Documenta Fifteen in Kassel, Germany.
On Thursday last week, artist Kuo Yu-ping (郭俞平) wrote on Facebook that a Paiwan cultural icon was being shielded by community leaders from the consequences of raping a 19-year-old protege.
Kuo used