Justin Sun, a Chinese-born cryptocurrency founder who spent $6.2 million (Rs 52.4 crore) on buying an artwork featuring a banana duct-taped to a wall, has eaten the fruit. Standing in front of journalists and influencers gathered at a luxury Hong Kong hotel on Friday (Nov 29), Mr Sun devoured the pricey banana after giving a speech and calling the artwork, curated by Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan “iconic”. He also drew parallels between the art and cryptocurrency, whilst describing the taste of the fruit.
“It’s much better than other bananas. It’s really quite good,” said Mr Sun after eating the banana. Notably, each attendee at Friday’s event was given a banana and a roll of duct tape as a souvenir.
Mr Sun competed with six others but emerged victorious in the auction, which was held at Sotheby’s auction house in New York. The banana has been eaten twice before, first by a performance artist in 2019 and again by a South Korean student in 2023. However, none of them shelled any money, let alone $6.2 million.
许多朋友问我这根香蕉的味道如何。老实说，对于一根有如此故事的香蕉，味道自然和普通香蕉不一样。我品尝出了一种100年前大麦克香蕉的味道。🍌 pic.twitter.com/ddo8pEjatx
— H.E. Justin Sun 🍌 (@justinsuntron) November 29, 2024
Notably, immediately after winning the auction last week, Mr Sun had announced his plan to eat the fruit to make it a part of the history of the artwork.
“In the coming days, I will personally eat the banana as part of this unique artistic experience, honoring its place in both art history and popular culture,” he said at the time.
“This is not just an artwork. It represents a cultural phenomenon that bridges the worlds of art, memes, and the cryptocurrency community,” he added.
Comedian – a satirical art
Titled “Comedian”, the banana artwork is a satirical conceptual piece that first debuted at Art Basel Miami Beach in 2019. It offers a commentary on how ridiculous the art world is where the meaning of a piece is tied to the money it attracts.
Also Read | “Comedian”, Banana Taped To A Wall, Sells For $6.2 Million In New York
Vendor in shock
While Mr Sun gulped down millions of dollars in a few seconds, the vendor who sold the banana for the auction expressed despair at not having received anything substantial sum of money from the viral gig. According to a report in the New York Times, the banana was sold by Shah Alam, a 74-year-old fruit seller to the artist. Mr Alam, working outside Sotheby’s in the Upper East Side said he was not aware that a piece of fruit he sold for only 35 cents would end up fetching the monstrous amount.
Though the banana art was satirical in nature, Mr Alam fails to understand how someone bought it for such an exorbitant price.
“Those who bought it, what kind of people are they? Do they not know what a banana is?” he questioned.
