Cryptocurrency entrepreneur, Justin Sun, made headlines when he bought a piece of conceptual art – a banana duct-taped to a wall – for a whopping $6.2 million and then proceeded to eat it.
The event took place at a lavish press conference in Hong Kong’s Peninsula hotel where Sun confidently peeled off the famous silver duct tape and consumed the fruit – which you can keep fresher for longer – in front of an audience.
“It tastes much better than other bananas. Indeed, quite good.,” he said. Crafted by Italian provocateur Maurizio Cattelan, the artwork became the art world’s most expensive practical joke upon its 2019 reveal at Art Basel Miami Beach.
The installation drew instant attention, with crowds confused on whether it was a joke or a genius comment on art valuation. At one point, another artist took the banana off the wall and ate it.
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Three copies were sold up for six-figure sums. At a recent Sotheby’s auction in New York, Sun, the founder of TRON, acquired authentication to recreate the art himself.
Sun linked his extravagant acquisition to important cultural shifts, remarking, “represents a cultural phenomenon that bridges the worlds of art, memes, and the cryptocurrency community.”
In Hong Kong on Friday, Sun partook in an unusual act of performance art as he devoured a banana affixed to a wall with duct tape. Commenting on his action, he declared, “I will personally eat the banana as part of this unique artistic experience, honoring its place in both art history and popular culture.”, reports the Mirror US.
The banana is said to be sourced locally. This event follows Sun’s revelation on social network X of his $30 million stake in World Liberty Financial, a crypto initiative kick-started by Donald Trump’s family in September.
Now an advisor for the firm, Sun avowed that his platform TRON is “committed to making America great again and leading innovation.”
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Yet, this follows hot on the heels of controversy, as last year the US SEC slapped Sun with allegations of fraud and securities violations, charges he refutes as “lacks merit.”
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