After purchasing Maurizio Cattelan’s controversial artwork, Comedian—which features a banana taped to a wall—for $6.2 million (£4.9m), Chinese cryptocurrency entrepreneur Justin Sun has finally eaten the banana.
The piece, which debuted at Art Basel Miami Beach in 2019, sparked debates about the nature of art itself. Sun acquired Comedian at a Sotheby’s auction in New York on November 20.
At a press event held at one of Hong Kong’s most luxurious hotels on Friday, Sun took a bite of the banana in front of a crowd of journalists and influencers. He described the experience as “iconic” and compared conceptual art to the world of cryptocurrency. “It’s much better than other bananas,” he remarked, noting the banana’s “really quite good” taste.
Reflecting on his initial reaction to winning the bid, Sun admitted he had “dumb questions” about the artwork, including concerns about whether the banana had spoiled and how to assess its value. However, he quickly saw potential in the piece, saying, “This could become something big.”
By eating the banana, Sun claimed he was adding to the “artwork’s history.” He also drew parallels between Comedian and the rise of NFTs (non-fungible tokens), stating, “Most of its objects and ideas exist as intellectual property and on the internet, as opposed to something physical.”
He further speculated that the value of Comedian might increase over time, much like Bitcoin.
Sun, who recently announced a $30 million investment in World Liberty Financial, a cryptocurrency project backed by US President-elect Donald Trump, has faced his share of controversy. Last year, the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) charged him with offering and selling unregistered securities related to his TRON project. The case is still unresolved.
