Justin Sun, a cryptocurrency entrepreneur and Donald Trump supporter paid $6.2 million for a banana taped to a wall, only to eat it onstage during a Friday event, declaring that "the real value is the concept itself," much like a digital asset. Sun ate the banana, part of Maurizio Cattelan's conceptual artwork Comedian , during a Hong Kong press event, calling it "much better than other bananas" and praising the piece as a symbol of the intersection between art and cryptocurrency.
Sun acquired the artwork last week during a Sotheby's auction in New York, significantly exceeding the estimated value of $1-$1.5 million. The purchase included a certificate of authenticity and instructions to recreate the piece, allowing the owner to tape any banana to a wall and call it Comedian .
At the press conference held in The Peninsula Hong Kong hotel, attendees received bananas and duct tape as souvenirs. Sun declared his performance was an extension of the artwork's history, saying, "The real value is the concept itself." Tron Founder Justin Sun eats Banana Duct-Taped to Wall.
He paid $6.2 million. pic.
twitter.com/dqvWRyIl1G The original work gained notoriety at Art Basel Miami Beach in 2019, where it provoked debate about the boundaries of contemporary art. Sun drew comparisons between conceptual art and the rise of NFTs (non-fungible tokens), emphasizing how both often derive their value from intellectual property rather than physical assets.
He also tied his purchase to broader crypto.