In the luxurious lobby of the Peninsula Hotel in Hong Kong, under the spotlight, everyone waited with bated breath for a strange moment: Justin Sun, the big boss of the cryptocurrency world, was about to eat a banana "worth" $6.2 million.
This banana is not some magical fruit, but one of the most absurd works in the history of contemporary art - Maurizio Cattelan's (Comedian).
The legend of a banana
Back in 2019, this work caused quite a stir when it was first shown at the Miami Art Basel. Cattelan taped an ordinary banana to the wall with silver tape, but the price was marked at $120,000 to $150,000. Some people called it a mockery of the art market bubble, while others thought it was just a huge joke.
Later, an artist passing by simply picked the banana off the wall and ate it. Later, the banana went bad, so it was replaced and eventually removed from the exhibition. But this "artwork" became even more legendary: the banana was gone, but its concept remained, and its price soared. Last week, the latest version of this work was bought by Justin Sun for a high price of $6.2 million.
However, this time he didn't buy the banana, but a certificate - an authorization that allowed him to "legally" use tape to stick bananas.
Justin Sun eating a banana
Justin Sun has always been an unexpected presence. He once spent $4.56 million to bid for the opportunity to have lunch with Buffett, and also announced loudly that he "wanted to buy everything that could be bought." This time, he spent $6.2 million to buy a piece of art that many people "could not understand." But compared to bidding for the work, his "eating a banana" behavior attracted more attention.
At the press conference that day, Justin Sun gently tore off the tape under countless flashes, held the banana in his hand, carefully peeled the skin, and took a big bite.
"It tastes better than ordinary bananas, it's really good!" he said. This comment is ordinary, but it makes people feel that the story is extremely absurd.
The media later discovered that the banana was bought at random from a Hong Kong market that morning and was not a "genuine" item from the auction. Some people felt that they were teased, while others felt that he perfectly interpreted the soul of this artwork with his actions: irony, absurdity, meme culture, and even a mockery of modern consumer society.
Art, Cryptocurrency, and Hype
Sun Yuchen obviously did not just want to eat bananas. He also did not forget to link this event with cryptocurrency culture, claiming that this work symbolizes the "connection between art, meme culture and blockchain technology."
He even took the opportunity to announce a $30 million investment in World Liberty Financial, a company founded by Donald Trump, further consolidating his position in the cryptocurrency space.
Thinking behind the absurdity
Sun Yuchen's "banana eating" performance made people laugh helplessly, but also made people think more. Is this a meaningless show? Or is it a precise marketing?
Some people criticized him for using money to hype up absurd artistic concepts, while others felt that this was the meaning of art—to allow people to break out of their conventional thinking and see the truth behind the absurdity. After all, no matter how you look at this banana, it does make everyone re-discuss the boundaries between art, money and culture.
Perhaps, this is the true value of Justin Sun and the banana.
