After spending $6.2 million (Rs 524 billion) on an artwork featuring a banana duct-taped to a wall, Chinese-born cryptocurrency founder Justin Sun ate the fruit. Standing in front of journalists and influential people gathered at a luxury hotel in Hong Kong on Friday (November 29), Mr Son described the work, which was supervised by Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan, as “iconic”. After calling and giving a speech, he devoured an expensive banana. He also drew parallels between art and cryptocurrency while describing the taste of fruit.
“It's much better than other bananas,” Son said after eating the banana.Notably, attendees at Friday's event received a banana and a roll of duct tape as souvenirs. Given.
Sun competed against six other bidders, but won the auction held at Sotheby's auction house in New York. The banana has been eaten twice so far, the first time by a performance artist in 2019 and the second time by a Korean student in 2023. However, none of them paid a penny, let alone $6.2 million.
Many friends asked me how I tried the taste of this root incense. The old convention is that for such old fragrances, the taste is natural and not ordinary incense. pic.twitter.com/ddo8pEjatx
— Justin Sun🍌 (@justinsuntron) November 29, 2024
Notably, shortly after winning the fruit at auction last week, Sun announced plans to eat the fruit to make it part of the artwork's history.
“In honor of the banana's place in both art history and popular culture, in the coming days I will personally eat a banana as part of this unique art experience,” he said at the time.
“This is more than just a piece of art; it represents a cultural phenomenon that bridges the world of art, memes, and the crypto community,” he added.
Comedian – Satirical Art
The banana artwork, titled “Comedian,” is a satirical and conceptual work that premiered at Art Basel Miami Beach 2019. This work explains how absurd the art world is, where the meaning of a work is tied to the money it attracts.
Also read | Banana “Comedian” wall sticker sold for $6.2 million in New York
Vendor shocked
Sun gulped down millions of dollars in seconds, but the person who sold the bananas at auction expressed despair at not receiving more money from the viral gig. According to the report, new york timesthe bananas were sold to the artist by 74-year-old fruit seller Shah Alam. Arum, who works outside Sotheby's on the Upper East Side, said he had no idea that a piece of fruit he sold for just 35 cents could end up selling for an exorbitant price.
Although the banana art was satirical in nature, Alam cannot understand why someone would buy it at such an exorbitant price.
“Who are the people who bought it?” Don't they know what a banana is? ” he asked.
