Earth Science News
TRADE WARS
Crypto boss eats banana art he bought for $6.2 million
Crypto boss eats banana art he bought for $6.2 million
by AFP Staff Writers
Hong Kong (AFP) Nov 29, 2024

Crypto entrepreneur Justin Sun on Friday fulfilled a promise he made after spending $6.2 million on an artwork featuring a banana duct-taped to a wall -- by eating the fruit.

At one of Hong Kong's priciest hotels, Sun chomped down on a banana in front of dozens of journalists and influencers after giving a speech hailing the work as "iconic" and drew parallels between conceptual art and cryptocurrency.

"It's much better than other bananas," Sun said after getting his first taste.

"It's really quite good."

Titled "Comedian", the conceptual work created by Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan was sold at a Sotheby's auction in New York last week, with Sun among seven bidders.

Sun said he felt "disbelief" in the first 10 seconds after he won the bid, before realising "this could become something big".

In the 10 seconds after that, he decided he would eat the banana.

"Eating it at a press conference can also become a part of the artwork's history," he said Friday.

The debut of the edible creation at the 2019 Art Basel show in Miami Beach sparked controversy and raised questions about whether it should be considered art -- Cattelan's stated aim.

And Sun on Friday compared conceptual art like "Comedian" to NFT art and decentralised blockchain technology.

"Most of its objects and ideas exist as (intellectual property) and on the internet, as opposed to something physical," he said.

- 'Apolitical' investment -

Sun this week also became an advisor to World Liberty Financial, a crypto initiative backed by US president-elect Donald Trump, following a $30 million investment.

He earlier wrote on social media platform X that he was "excited to help make crypto great again in the US" with Trump's leadership.

On Friday Sun denied that the investment -- which made him the largest investor in the project -- was an attempt to influence Trump or American politics.

"We are apolitical," Sun told AFP in an interview.

"Me (serving) as advisor also contribute a lot of value... I can be a great bridge for traditional financial and the (decentralised finance) industry."

The 34-year-old crypto businessman was last year charged by the US Securities and Exchange Commission with fraud and securities law violation in relation to his crypto project Tron.

Sun has rejected the allegations and the case is ongoing.

At a function room at the Peninsula hotel in Hong Kong, two men dressed as auction house staff stood in front of a featureless wall with the yellow banana offering the only splash of colour.

Sun said he only recently decided to bid for the artwork, adding he had "dumb questions" such as whether the banana had decayed and how to value the work.

The artwork owner is given a certificate of authenticity that the work was created by Cattelan as well as instructions about how to replace the fruit when it goes bad.

Sun told AFP that his artwork may well benefit from the same kind of speculative craze usually associated with crypto.

"I think (the price) probably is going to go up even more in the future, just like Bitcoin," he said.

Related Links
Global Trade News

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters
Tweet

RELATED CONTENT
The following news reports may link to other Space Media Network websites.
TRADE WARS
Asian markets mixed after subdued pre-holiday shift on Wall St
Hong Kong (AFP) Nov 28, 2024
Asian markets diverged Thursday as investors brushed off a negative lead from Wall Street while welcoming a drop in Treasury yields and data showing US inflation was holding steady. With the United States heading into the Thanksgiving holiday, business in New York was subdued after a flurry of activity since Donald Trump's election at the start of the month. That has allowed Asian traders to take a breather and digest recent developments as the president-elect builds a hawkish cabinet that looks ... read more

TRADE WARS
Spain urged to 'build differently' after deadly floods

How China allegedly contributes to the deadly fentanyl crisis

Indonesia digs out as flooding, landslide death toll hits 20

China zeroes in on 'common' disputes in wake of deadly attacks

TRADE WARS
3D-printing advance mitigates three defects simultaneously for failure-free metal parts

Shape memory alloy antenna redefines communication technology

Impossible objects brings high-speed CBAM 25 series 3D printer to Europe

Tunable ultrasound propagation in microscale metamaterials

TRADE WARS
Future of deep-sea mining stands at a crucial juncture

Extreme weather threatens Canada's hydropower future

Climate-threatened nations stage protest at COP29 over contentious deal

US moves to ramp up military engagements with Fiji

TRADE WARS
Political implications of Antarctic geoengineering debated

Space for Shore project tracks Svalbard glacier changes with Sentinel-1

NATO holds large Arctic exercises in Russia's backyard

Tajikistan lost 1,000 glaciers in 3 decades: minister

TRADE WARS
Coffee price heats up on tight Brazil crop fears

Seed industry hopes innovation can sow success

Scientists seek miracle pill to stop methane cow burps

NASA's Brad Doorn Brings Farm Belt Wisdom to Space-Age Agriculture

TRADE WARS
Spain govt defends flood response and offers new aid

16 dead, seven missing in Indonesia flood: disaster agency

Lava covers parking lot at famed Iceland geothermal spa

Libya's Derna hosts theatre festival year after flash flood

TRADE WARS
France urges ceasefire in Sudan war, pledges aid to Chad

Burkina freezes assets of more than 100 people over 'financing of terrorism'

How will Senegal's new leaders use their legislative landslide?

UK doubles aid to war-torn Sudan

TRADE WARS
Overthinking stems from ancient brain processes influencing modern cognition

Friendly social behaviors influence chimpanzee interactions

Dementia risk method uses machine learning for scalable and affordable care

Iraq holds its first census in nearly 40 years

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters




The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us.