In November 2024, a conceptual art piece—a banana attached to the wall with a duct tape, to be precise— sold for, hold that jaw, $6.2 million (₹54 crore approximately) at an auction. The piece titled Comedian was bought by Justin Sun, a Chinese-origin cryptocurrency entrepreneur. The ‘artwork’, by Italian visual artist Maurizio Cattelan, comes with detailed instructions about keeping the sanctity of the piece including replacing the banana (every 7-10 days) and even the height at which it should be placed, but glosses over questions like,“What the heck?”
While pop culture aficionados dedicated furious social media posts to discuss the artwork, valiantly attempting to make sense of the money involved, the shock value, and how practically anything will pass off as art, the insiders of the art world watched on bemusedly. Art has always nonchalantly flirted with absurdity.And this wasn’t the first time a piece of art was ruffling feathers, and it is unlikely to be the last. Comedian took the world by storm, but this wasn’t a flash in the pan piece. Cattelan’s oeuvre has always been cheeky and irreverent, and his latest work was an extension of it. Rishiraj Sethi, Chief Strategist, Aura Art says, “An ubiquitous object redefines what we call ‘art’ in an incisive manner. Cattelan’s Comedian serves as a prime example. The artwork’s viral nature blurs the lines between physical and digital spaces, democratising access to art while risking oversimplification.” Social media highlights the absurdity of the art market, reshapes the narrative, and decentralises criticism, believes Sethi. “It challenges traditional notions of authorship and ownership, with online discourse becoming part of an artwork’s identity.
Social media’s impact on art extends beyond individual works, shifting the focus to digital consumption and fostering new expectations about accessibility and relatability.”
Social media and the internet certainly have a role to play in what is considered popular or what makes headlines.The art world would trade this sort of fleeting conversations for more enduring ones, but playing to the gallery might earn you mentions in rooms with untaped potential. This means shock and absurdity rank higher in the hierarchy. Uday Jain, Director, Dhoomimlal Gallery, Delhi, sheds light on this. “Art
has always found passionate followers and patrons who identify with a certain style of art. However, serious collectors or institutions work very quietly and the gimmick-y side of things get talked about a lot more. Today, sensationalism far overtakes content.”
That’s the thing about art, and excuse the use of the tired cliche—‘it is subjective’.An art degree is likely to get you a foot in the door with academia, and an impressed nod at a party but an art enthusiast’s opinion about an artist’s work is perhaps as valid in any other space. An art buyer familiar with an artist’s work can authoritatively point out recurring motifs and evocative themes,so expertise might become dispensable.
While competency is up for debate, sound logic and an appreciation for the art is undeniable, one would argue.An artwork might invite critique and/or adulation, be priced at the GDP of a small country, and be deemed indecent, vulgar or undeserving of the attention it has garnered, but it has to exist. This logic was lost on Mumbai’s customs officials who confiscated Francis Newton Souza and Akbar Padamsee’s nude artworks in 2023, deeming them obscene and decided the best way forward was to destroy them. These artworks were bought by Mumbai resident Mustafa Karachiwala at auctions in London and he petitioned with the Mumbai High Court for their release and also to get a stay on their destruction. A bit of an overreaction by the customs? Perhaps. But absurdity has been a constant leitmotif in art.
Payal Kapoor, Owner, Arushi Arts gallery and Co- founder, Artix Art Fair, summarises this aptly.“Art should evoke a reaction, whether it’s good or bad is up to the viewer.What is blasphemous for one individual, is beauty for the other.” Sanjana Shah, Founder, Tao Art Gallery, says, “Art curators and enthusiasts usually engage in as neutral a way possible with morally ambiguous art because they realise that the art is created in order to disrupt, and by being critical of this disruption we end up limiting the artistic expression.The most important thing is for people to come and engage with the art and form their own impressions of it.”
The beauty of absurdity in art is that it often holds up a mirror to the conversations considered too sacred or offers an incisive take on things considered too high brow to be mocked. Irony and satire feature heavily, igniting conversations. Sethi says, “By turning a simple banana into a multimillion- dollar artwork, Cattelan pokes fun at the art market’s fetishisation of objects while also questioning the seriousness with which we approach art. It is an invitation to laugh at the absurdity of it all, but also to recognise the deeper truths embedded in the humour. Comedian is not just a satire— it is a brilliant paradox. It is a clever, self-aware gesture that challenges us to rethink the boundaries of art, value, and meaning.”
Lead: Getty Images
This piece originally appeared in the January-February 2025 print edition of Harper’s Bazaar India.
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