Crypto Billionaire Justin Sun Eats $6.2 Million Banana Artwork in Historic Hong Kong Event!

New Delhi(The Uttam Hindu):Justin Sun, the cryptocurrency founder from China, made headlines by eating a banana artwork that cost him $6.2 million (Rs 52.4 crore). The artwork, titled Comedian, created by Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan, features a banana duct-taped to a wall. Sun’s bold act took place on November 29, 2024, at a luxury hotel in Hong Kong, where he gave a speech calling the piece "iconic" and drew comparisons between the artwork and cryptocurrency.

After consuming the banana, Sun described it as "much better than other bananas" and added, "It's really quite good." In a unique twist, each attendee at the event was given a banana and a roll of duct tape as souvenirs.

Sun’s purchase at the Sotheby’s auction in New York set him apart from six other bidders. The banana has previously been eaten by a performance artist in 2019 and by a South Korean student in 2023, though neither of them paid for it. Sun, however, made it clear after winning the auction that he planned to consume the banana, stating, “In the coming days, I will personally eat the banana as part of this unique artistic experience, honoring its place in both art history and popular culture."

Describing the artwork as more than just a piece of art, Sun emphasized, "This represents a cultural phenomenon that bridges the worlds of art, memes, and the cryptocurrency community." Comedian, which first debuted at Art Basel Miami Beach in 2019, is a satirical conceptual piece offering a critique of the art world, highlighting how the value of an artwork is often linked to the money it garners, rather than its intrinsic meaning.