Saturday 30 / November / 2024
Hong Kong: A banana that had been duct-taped to a wall as an art installation was eaten on Friday by the man who bought it on auction, during a press conference meant to bring the artwork to its fruitful end.
Cryptocurrency entrepeneur Justin Sun acquired the work of art by the Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan for $6.2 million (€5.8 million) at an auction of the prestigious Sotheby's auction house.
Sun said the duct-taped banana, titled "Comedian," was not just an artwork, but that it also represented "a cultural phenomenon that bridges the worlds of art, memes, and the cryptocurrency community."
The founder of crypto exchange Tron said after purchasing the banana that he intended to eat it, "honouring its place in both art history and popular culture," he said.
Sun likens concenptual art to crypto
Sun gathered journalists for a press conference at one of Hong Kong's priciest hotels so they would bear witness to the banana's end. Attendees were each given a roll of duct tape and a banana as a souvenir.
"Eating it at a press conference can also become a part of the artwork's history," Sun said.
After carefully removing the duct tape and detaching the fruit, he ate in front of dozens of journalists and influencers.
"It's much better than other bananas," Sun said after getting his first taste.
"It's really quite good," he added.
Sun gave a speech hailing the work as "iconic" and drew parallels between conceptual art and cryptocurrency.
"Most of its objects and ideas exist as (intellectual property) and on the internet, as opposed to something physical," he said.
