Cryptocurrency entrepreneur Justin Sun, 34, made headlines by eating the banana from Maurizio Cattelan’s $6.2 million art piece, “Comedian,” during a press event in Hong Kong. Sun purchased the artwork at a recent Sotheby’s auction in New York City and declared the act part of the artwork’s evolving history. The piece, originally created in 2019, features a banana duct-taped to a wall, with instructions for regular replacement to preserve its presentation.
At the event, Sun provided attendees with fresh bananas and duct tape as souvenirs, likening the artwork’s value to that of NFTs—both deriving worth from perceived rather than intrinsic value. He humorously noted the banana “tasted much better than other bananas.”
Sun’s actions are under a cloud of controversy, as the SEC filed charges against him in March 2023, accusing him and his companies of fraudulently manipulating crypto asset securities markets. The charges allege extensive “wash trading” and orchestrating celebrity endorsements for TRX and BTT tokens without proper disclosure. While some celebrities, including Lindsay Lohan and Jake Paul, settled their cases, Sun denies the allegations and continues to face scrutiny.
