Justin Sun, Chinese-American businessman and founder of the cryptocurrency platform Tron, had an unusual moment when he ate the famous work of art “Comedian”, by Maurizio Cattelan. The gesture took place in a luxurious hotel in Hong Kong, in front of journalists and digital influencers.
The piece, which consists of a banana attached to a wall with silver tape, was acquired by Sun for 6.2 million dollars (around 5.9 million euros).
After taking the first bite, Sun said, “It’s much better than other bananas. It’s really very good.” Before the act, he described the work as “iconic” and compared it to conceptual art and cryptocurrencies, highlighting the symbolic nature of the work. According to Sun, eating the banana during the press conference was another way of contributing to the history of the work.
The work “Comedian”, created by Cattelan in 2019, is seen as a critique of the notion of value in art and has generated intense debate since its premiere in Miami. Whoever purchases it receives a certificate of authenticity and instructions for replacing the banana as it deteriorates. Sun related the work to concepts such as NFTs and blockchain, highlighting that many of these ideas exist more as intellectual property and virtual experiences than as physical objects.
