RPG Enterprises Chairman Harsh Goenka on Monday reacted to crypto entrepreneur Justin Sun’s video showing him eating a banana from an artwork for which he paid $6.2 million at auction in New York.

In a social media post on platform X, Goenka called Sun’s stunt a brilliant marketing move. The artwork featured a banana duct-taped to a wall.

Goenka highlighted how purchasing a $6.2 million modern art piece and then eating it was a brilliant marketing move that blended art, memes, and crypto into a viral sensation. 

“When Justin Sun paid $6.2M for a banana taped to a wall and then ate it, I thought the world had gone bananas. But in reality, it was a brilliant marketing move, blending art, memes, and crypto into a viral sensation,” said Harsh Goenka in his post on the platform X.

Why did Justin Sun eat the Banana?

In the video, Justin Sun peeled off the duct tape and enjoyed the yellow banana. The modern art was created by Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan. The piece was titled “Comedian,” which sparked conversations about art, value and perception around the globe.

“This is not just an artwork; it represents a cultural phenomenon that bridges the worlds of art, memes, and the cryptocurrency community. I believe this piece will inspire more thought and discussion in the future and will become a part of history,” said Justin Sun in a post on the platform X.

After winning at the Sotheby’s auction, Justin Sun announced that he would eat the Banana on November 29. He kept his promise and ate the fruit during a news conference in Hong Kong, using the moment to draw parallels between the artwork and cryptocurrency.

“Eating it at a press conference can also become a part of the artwork’s history,” he told the news portal BBC. 

Netizen’s response

People on social media responded to Goenka’s post and agreed with him on the context of mixing art, crypto and marketing through Justin Sun’s actions and that banana art.

“A bite worth millions! Indeed a masterstroke in blending art, crypto, and marketing with a hint of potassium,” said Rakesh Parmar, responding to Goenka’s post.

However, there were a few people who termed Sun’s performance as a money laundering scheme. “Serious conversion of black to white maybe,” said people responding to the executive’s post on Monday.