Crypto boss eats banana art he bought for $6.2 million

Agence France-Presse

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1732884552218AFP__20241129__36NH7VK__v2__Preview__TopshotHongKongChinaArtBanana.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" alt="Chinese-born crypto founder Justin Sun eats a banana artwork composed of a fresh banana stuck to a wall with duct tape, in Hong Kong on November 29, 2024, after buying the provocative work of conceptual art by Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan at a New York auction for $6.2 million. The debut of the edible creation entitled &quot;Comedian&quot; at the Art Basel show in Miami Beach in 2019 sparked controversy and raised questions about whether it should be considered art -- Cattelan&#x27;s stated aim. (Photo by Peter Parks / AFP)"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">Chinese-born crypto founder Justin Sun eats a banana artwork composed of a fresh banana stuck to a wall with duct tape, in Hong Kong on November 29, 2024, after buying the provocative work of conceptual art by Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan at a New York auction for $6.2 million. The debut of the edible creation entitled &quot;Comedian&quot; at the Art Basel show in Miami Beach in 2019 sparked controversy and raised questions about whether it should be considered art -- Cattelan&#x27;s stated aim. (Photo by Peter Parks / AFP) </span></span></span></div><div><br/></div><p>HONG KONG - Crypto entrepreneur Justin Sun on Friday fulfilled a promise he made after spending $6.2 million on an artwork featuring a banana duct-taped to a wall -- by eating the fruit.</p><p>At one of Hong Kong&#x27;s priciest hotels, Sun chomped down on a banana in front of dozens of journalists and influencers after giving a speech hailing the work as &quot;iconic&quot; and drew parallels between conceptual art and cryptocurrency.</p><p>&quot;It&#x27;s much better than other bananas,&quot; Sun said after getting his first taste.</p><p>&quot;It&#x27;s really quite good.&quot;</p><p>Titled &quot;Comedian&quot;, the conceptual work created by Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan was sold at a Sotheby&#x27;s auction in New York last week, with Sun among seven bidders.</p><div><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ipAaZ_qhRF0?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><br/></div><p>Sun said he felt &quot;disbelief&quot; in the first 10 seconds after he won the bid, before realizing &quot;this could become something big&quot;.</p><p>In the 10 seconds after that, he decided he would eat the banana.</p><p>&quot;Eating it at a press conference can also become a part of the artwork&#x27;s history,&quot; he said Friday.</p><p>The debut of the edible creation at the 2019 Art Basel show in Miami Beach sparked controversy and raised questions about whether it should be considered art -- Cattelan&#x27;s stated aim.</p><p>And Sun on Friday compared conceptual art like &quot;Comedian&quot; to NFT art and decentralized blockchain technology.</p><p>&quot;Most of its objects and ideas exist as (intellectual property) and on the internet, as opposed to something physical,&quot; he said.</p><div><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/GrPNWFGQE4o?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><br/></div><div><strong>&#x27;Apolitical&#x27; investment</strong></div><p>Sun this week also became an advisor to World Liberty Financial, a crypto initiative backed by US president-elect Donald Trump, following a $30 million investment.</p><p>He earlier wrote on social media platform X that he was &quot;excited to help make crypto great again in the US&quot; with Trump&#x27;s leadership.</p><p>On Friday Sun denied that the investment -- which made him the largest investor in the project -- was an attempt to influence Trump or American politics.</p><p>&quot;We are apolitical,&quot; Sun told AFP in an interview.</p><p>&quot;Me (serving) as advisor also contribute a lot of value... I can be a great bridge for traditional financial and the (decentralized finance) industry.&quot;</p><p>The 34-year-old crypto businessman was last year charged by the US Securities and Exchange Commission with fraud and securities law violation in relation to his crypto project Tron.</p><p>Sun has rejected the allegations and the case is ongoing.</p><p>At a function room at the Peninsula hotel in Hong Kong, two men dressed as auction house staff stood in front of a featureless wall with the yellow banana offering the only splash of color.</p><p>Sun said he only recently decided to bid for the artwork, adding he had &quot;dumb questions&quot; such as whether the banana had decayed and how to value the work.</p><p>The artwork owner is given a certificate of authenticity that the work was created by Cattelan as well as instructions about how to replace the fruit when it goes bad.</p><p>Sun told AFP that his artwork may well benefit from the same kind of speculative craze usually associated with crypto.</p><p>&quot;I think (the price) probably is going to go up even more in the future, just like Bitcoin,&quot; he said.</p>

<p>Crypto entrepreneur Justin Sun on Friday fulfilled a promise he made after spending $6.2 million on an artwork featuring a banana duct-taped to a wall -- by eating the fruit.</p>

Crypto entrepreneur Justin Sun on Friday fulfilled a promise he made after spending $6.2 million on an artwork featuring a banana duct-taped to a wall -- by eating the fruit.

Crypto boss eats banana art he bought for $6.2 million | ABS-CBN

Entertainment

News

Metro.Style

Sports

More

Business

Crypto boss eats banana art he bought for $6.2 million

Crypto boss eats banana art he bought for $6.2 million

Agence France-Presse

Published Nov 29, 2024 08:53 PM PHT

|

Updated Nov 29, 2024 10:08 PM PHT

Read More:

ABSNews

ANC promo

cryptocurrency

Justin Sun

conceptual artwork

Maurizio Cattelan

ABS-CBN is the leading media and entertainment company in the Philippines, offering quality content across TV, radio, digital, and film. Committed to public service and promoting Filipino values, ABS-CBN continues to inspire and connect audiences worldwide.

Corporate

Investors

Governance

International Distribution

Corporate

Governance

Investors

International Distribution

NPC Seal of Registration

Privacy Policy

Terms of Service

Advertise with Us

© 2024 ABS-CBN Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

NPC Seal of Registration

Advertise with Us

Privacy Policy

Terms of Service

© 2024 ABS-CBN Corporation. All Rights Reserved.