Crypto mogul Justin Sun.
Crypto entrepreneur Justin Sun made headlines on Friday by keeping a unique promise tied to a $6.2 million artwork he purchased. The artwork, famously featuring a banana duct-taped to a wall, became the centre of attention as Sun decided to eat the fruit. At a luxury hotel in Hong Kong, Sun stood before a crowd of reporters and influencers, delivering a speech in which he praised the artwork’s significance. Calling it “iconic,” he drew comparisons between the world of conceptual art and cryptocurrency. After his remarks, he took a bite of a banana, fulfilling his playful vow in a moment that sparked widespread curiosity.
“It’s much better than other bananas,” Sun was quoted as saying by AFP. “It’s really quite good.”
Titled “Comedian”, the conceptual work created by Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan was sold at a Sotheby’s auction in New York last week, with Sun among seven bidders. Sun said he felt “disbelief” in the first 10 seconds after he won the bid, before realising “this could become something big”.
In the 10 seconds after that, he decided he would eat the banana. “Eating it at a press conference can also become a part of the artwork’s history,” he said Friday.
‘Apolitical’ Investment
This week, Justin Sun joined World Liberty Financial as an advisor, a cryptocurrency project supported by US president-elect Donald Trump, after investing $30 million into the initiative.
Sun, who became the project’s largest investor through this funding, took to social media platform X to express his enthusiasm, stating he was “thrilled to contribute to making crypto great again in the US” under Trump’s leadership.
However, on Friday, Sun dismissed speculation that his investment was intended to sway Trump or influence American politics, clarifying his intentions behind the move.
“We are apolitical,” Sun told AFP in an interview
“Me (serving) as advisor also contribute a lot of value… I can be a great bridge for traditional financial and the (decentralised finance) industry.”
The 34-year-old crypto businessman was last year charged by the US Securities and Exchange Commission with fraud and securities law violation in relation to his crypto project Tron.
Sun has rejected the allegations and the case is ongoing.
(With AFP Inputs)
