In a striking and decidedly quirky event, Justin Sun, a well-known cryptocurrency entrepreneur, officially consumed the banana from the artwork titled "Comedian," which he purchased for an astounding $6.2 million (£4.9 million) at a recent Sotheby’s auction in New York. This banana, famously duct-taped to a wall, was the center of a performance art piece by Maurizio Cattelan, and Sun outbid six other contenders to claim it.
Sun elaborated on his decision to eat the banana during a press conference held in Hong Kong, where he drew intriguing parallels between the artwork and the cryptocurrency world. He noted that the banana is routinely replaced before exhibitions, emphasizing that his purchase included not just the artwork but also guidelines on how to swap out the fruit. Previously, the banana had been consumed twice: first by a performance artist in 2019 and again by a South Korean student in early 2023, neither of whom paid for the privilege as Sun did.
"It's much better than other bananas," Sun remarked, adding a lighthearted touch to his unconventional act. As acknowledged, dining on the artwork during a media event potentially becomes part of the piece's lore. The New York Times reported that a fresh banana was acquired for only 35 cents on the day of the auction, transforming it into one of the most costly fruits globally.
At the press event, all attendees received bananas and rolls of duct tape as playful mementos. Sun, who oversees the Tron blockchain network, a platform for trading in cryptocurrency, likened the artistic endeavor to NFTs (non-fungible tokens), which are digital artworks devoid of intrinsic value except that assigned by the market.
Despite facing legal challenges from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission over allegations of offering unregistered security tokens—a claim which Sun denies—he has continued to make headlines, recently announcing a $30 million investment in a crypto initiative supported by US President-elect Donald Trump. The artist, the auction, the investment, and of course, the banana, signify a new chapter in the intersection of art and digital currencies.
