A cryptocurrency entrepreneur has kept his promise and eaten a banana he bought for $6.2m (£4.9m).
Justin Sun snapped up viral art piece Comedian – consisting of a single banana duct-taped to a white wall – in an auction at Sotheby’s in New York last week.
The Chinese-born businessman immediately revealed his plan to destroy the artwork by enjoying the fruit as a snack and at a news conference today, he delivered on his word.
At a Hong Kong hotel, the 34-year-old took a bite and told reporters: “It’s much better than other bananas. It’s really quite good.”
After purchasing Comedian, Mr Sun previously said the piece “represents a cultural phenomenon that bridges the worlds of art, memes, and the cryptocurrency community”.
“Additionally, in the coming days, I will personally eat the banana as part of this unique artistic experience, honouring its place in both art history and popular culture,” he vowed.
Image: Maurizio Cattelan’s Comedian debuted at an art festival in 2019. Pic: AP
The piece, by Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan, became an online phenomenon when it debuted at Art Basel in Miami Beach in 2019, and sparked debate over whether it was a joke or commentary on the art world.
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Comedian was first made with a banana that cost just 25 US cents (20p) and it’s not the first time the artwork has been eaten.
A performance artist took the banana from the wall and ate it back in 2019, and a south Korean student did the same last May.
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Mr Sun can technically replace the fruit again, as his $6.2m purchase grants him a certificate of authenticity and the authority to duct-tape any banana to a wall and call it Comedian.
The entrepreneur founded cryptocurrency TRON and recently invested $30m into President-elect Donald Trump’s crypto project.
Source : Sky News
