The crypto entrepreneur who bought a banana duct-taped to a wall for $6.2 million last week has eaten it.
Justin Sun knew he wasn’t meant to eat the banana when he originally purchased it. Yet, in a room filled with media personnel at a hotel in Hong Kong, the 34-year-old TRON cryptocurrency founder swallowed the banana like it was any other.
Before taking a bite, Sun sang the praises of Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan, arguing conceptual art was similar to cryptocurrency as he described the banana as “iconic.”
“It’s much better than other bananas,” Sun proclaimed. “It’s really quite good.”
Cattelan, 64, debuted the artwork at Art Basel in Miami, Florida, in 2019, titling it “Comedian.”
The banana, which was regarded as “the most expensive piece of fruit in the world,” was sold to Cattelan for 35 cents from a vendor outside the Sotheby’s auction house in New York where Sun bid on it.
Upon hearing how much Sun bought the fruit for, the vendor, Shah Alam, was in disbelief. Sun then promised to buy 100,000 more bananas from Alam, or $25,000 worth of produce, in a series of posts on X/Twitter.
Many friends have asked me about the taste of the banana. To be honest, for a banana with such a back story, the taste is naturally different from an ordinary one. I could discern a hint of what Big Mike bananas from 100 years ago might have tasted like. 🍌 pic.twitter.com/Sz6zaePGpv
— H.E. Justin Sun 🍌 (@justinsuntron) November 29, 2024
“As the owner of a fruit stand in Manhattan’s Upper East Side, Mr. Shah Alam inadvertently became a crucial contributor to a groundbreaking piece of art. This banana, far from being an ordinary piece of fruit, has taken on profound cultural and artistic significance,” he wrote on Thursday (November 28).
“To thank Mr. Shah Alam, I’ve decided to buy 100,000 bananas from his stand in New York’s Upper East Side. These bananas will be distributed free worldwide through his stand. Show a valid ID to claim one banana, while supplies last,” Sun continued.
He added: “This is not just a unique event but also a celebration of the beautiful connection between everyday life and art. I hope this gesture will help share the meaning of this special art story with more people.”
However, the 74-year-old vendor wasn’t thrilled by Sun’s promise. Speaking with The New York Times, Alam outlined the realities of fulfilling Sun’s enormous order. He said procuring tens of thousands of bananas from the Bronx wholesale market would cost him thousands, not to mention the practical difficulties of moving the boxes each containing 100 bananas.
“There’s not any profit in selling bananas,” Alam told the outlet before noting his net profit would only be $6,000 and because he only makes $12 an hour, working 12-hour shifts, he would have to forfeit the money to the stand owner.
The 53-year-old stand owner, Mohammad R. Islam, told The New York Times he’s split the profit evenly between himself, Alam, and his six other employees.
