A cryptocurrency entrepreneur who bought a piece of conceptual art consisting of a banana duct-taped to a wall for $6.2million last week ate the fruit.
Justin Sun ate the conceptual art project in Hong Kong on Friday. He confidently peeled off the famous silver duct tape at a sumptuous press conference in Hong Kong‘s lavish Peninsula hotel and ate the fruit before an audience.
He said: “It tastes much better than other bananas. Indeed, quite good.
Comedian, crafted by Italian provocateur Maurizio Cattelan, became the art world’s most expensive practical joke upon its 2019 reveal at Art Basel Miami Beach. The installation drew instant fame—or infamy—with crowds scratching their heads over whether it was mere slapstick or sharp critique on art valuation.
At one point, another artist took the banana off the wall and ate it.
Despite—or perhaps due to—the spectacle, three copies were snapped up for six-figure sums. Fast forward to the recent Sotheby’s auction in New York, where Sun, the brains behind the blockchain behemoth TRON, snagged not the fruit, but a permission slip of sorts: authentication to recreate the quirky art himself.
Reflecting on his pricey purchase, Sun tied the artwork to cultural movements, saying, “represents a cultural phenomenon that bridges the worlds of art, memes, and the cryptocurrency community.”
Justin Sun, a Chinese cryptocurrency entrepreneur, ate a banana duct-taped to a wall in a bizarre display of performance art in Hong Kong on Friday. “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.
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The banana was reportedly bought locally. This comes after Sun announced on social media platform X that he had invested $30 million in World Liberty Financial, a cryptocurrency venture launched by US President-elect Donald Trump‘s family in September.
Sun, who is now an advisor to the company, stated that his platform, TRON, is “committed to making America great again and leading innovation.”
However, this move comes amidst controversy, as Sun was charged with fraud and securities law violations by the US Securities and Exchange Commission last year, which he claims “lacks merit.”
