On Friday, Justin Solar – the Chinese language-born crypto entrepreneur who bought Maurizio Cattelan’s banana duct-taped to a wall for $6.2 final week – made good on his promise to eat it.
Instantly after shopping for the controversial paintings, titled Comic, at Sotheby’s in New York, Solar introduced on X that he wouldn’t solely pay for it with the cryptocurrency he created – TRON – but in addition devour it.
In entrance of journalists at one in every of Hong Kong’s costliest accommodations, Solar chowed down on the banana after giving a speech praising the paintings as “iconic.” He additionally drew comparisons between conceptual artwork and cryptocurrency.
“It’s a lot better than different bananas,” Solar instructed reporters. “It’s actually fairly good.”
The 34-year-old mentioned he was “intrigued” by the work and admittied that he had “dumb questions” about whether or not the banana rotted.
Solar was one in every of seven bidders – together with crypto-enthusiast collectors Ryan Zurrer and Cosomo di’ Medici – battling for Comic. He mentioned he was overcome with “disbelief” within the first few seconds after realizing he had received the lot, however quickly realized “this may very well be one thing massive.” He mentioned he determined to eat the banana within the following 10 seconds after that.
“Consuming it at a press convention can even turn into part of the paintings’s historical past,” Solar mentioned on Friday. In the course of the stunt, he in contrast conceptual artwork to decentralised blockchain know-how and NFT artwork. “Most of [conceptual art’s] objects and concepts exist as [intellectual property] and on the web, versus one thing bodily,” he added.
Earlier this week, Solar – who’s an avid artwork collector – revealed that he’s investing $30 million in cryptocurrency mission World Liberty Monetary, backed by Donald Trump, the US president-elect.
This isn’t the primary time Cattelan’s paintings, which has three editions, has been eaten. In 2019, one version that bought for $190,000 at Artwork Basel Miami was wolfed down by efficiency artist David Datuna. “Artwork efficiency by me. I really like Maurizio Cattelan paintings and I actually love this set up. It’s very scrumptious,” he posted on Instagram.
Final 12 months, a South Korean pupil was filmed ripping the banana off the wall on the Leeum Museum of Artwork in Seoul earlier than consuming a part of it. He then re-stuck the peel to the wall. When requested why he did it, the scholar mentioned he was hungry and argued that “damaging a piece of recent artwork is also [interpreted as] paintings.”
Associated Articles
Every banana comprising Comic, which is represented by a certificates of possession, is changed each two to a few days when it’s displayed.
Earlier than it was bought at Sotheby’s final Wednesday, a recent banana was bought for 35 cents from a avenue vendor close to the public sale home for the set up. A Go Fund Me web page has since been arrange for the fruit stand vendor, a 74-year-old immigrant named Shah Alam, and up to now it’s raised extra $10,000 for him.
On the press convention in Hong Kong on Friday, Solar gave everybody in attendance a banana and a roll of duct tape as a memento.