Cryptocurrency entrepreneur who bought banana art for $9.5 million eats the fruit in Hong Kong

A cryptocurrency entrepreneur purchased a piece of conceptual art last week for $6.2 million (approximately AUD 9.5 million), consisting of a simple banana duct-taped to a wall. The entrepreneur ate the banana in Hong Kong last Friday.

The Chinese entrepreneur, named Justin Sun, peeled the tape and consumed the banana at a press conference held at the Peninsula Hotel in Hong Kong. The Peninsula is one of Hong Kong's most expensive hotels, located in the famous shopping district of Tsim Sha Tsui. Sun stated, "This banana tastes much better than other bananas. It's really good."

The work, titled "Comedian," was created by Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan and caused a sensation when it first appeared at Art Basel in Miami Beach in 2019. At the time, attendees tried to figure out if the single yellow fruit taped to a white wall with silver duct tape was a joke or a mockery of the questionable standards of art collectors. Another artist once removed the banana from the wall and ate it. The work garnered so much attention that it had to be removed from display. However, according to the gallery that was selling it at the time, three editions of the piece sold for between $120,000 and $150,000 (approximately AUD 184,000 to AUD 230,000).

Last week, Justin Sun, founder of the cryptocurrency platform TRON, successfully bid for the piece at a Sotheby's auction in New York. More accurately, Sun purchased a certificate of authenticity that grants him the right to tape a banana to a wall and call it "Comedian." At the time, Sun said in a statement that the piece "represents a cultural phenomenon that connects the worlds of art, memes, and the cryptocurrency community." He also said, "I will personally eat this banana as part of this unique artistic experience to commemorate its place in art history and popular culture." According to the South China Morning Post, the banana he ate on Friday was purchased in Hong Kong.

On Tuesday, Sun announced on X that he had invested $30 million in World Liberty Financial, a family cryptocurrency venture capital firm launched by US President-elect Donald Trump in September. In his post, Sun stated that his platform TRON is "committed to making America great again and leading innovation." After investing in Trump's venture capital firm, he became an advisor to World Liberty Financial. Last year, Sun was charged by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission with fraud and other securities violations. He stated on X that the charges were "baseless."