At Seoul’s Leeum Museum of Art, a student studying art at Seoul National University consumed a banana that was featured in ‘Comedian,’ an installation by artist Maurizio Cattelan. The exhibit, which was a part of Cattelan’s ‘WE’ exhibition, showcased a fully ripe banana that had been affixed to the wall using duct tape.
As per BBC, the student identified as Noh Huyn-soo. A video of him eating the banana was shared on Instagram by @shwan.han. The clip shows Noh Huyn-soo picking up the taped banana and peeling it to eat. Once he half eats the banana, he tapes it back on the wall.
“The student told the museum he ate it because he was hungry. It happened suddenly, so no special action was taken. The artist (Cattelan) was informed of the incident, but he didn’t have any reaction to it,” a museum spokesperson told CNN. According to CNN, the banana displayed in the installation is replaced every two to three days and is not available for purchase. The artwork was sold for $120,000 in 2019.
Watch the video here:
This video was shared just a few days ago. Since being posted, it has been liked over 500 times. Many people have also shared comments on the post.
Check out a few reactions below:
An individual wrote, “Who cares, it’s just a banana taped to the wall, be frustrated about other things?” Another added, “And? How did the art taste?” A third shared, “Some people do anything for a few likes and attention on Instagram.”
During the Art Basel event in Miami, following the sale of the initial edition of “Comedian” in 2019, performance artist David Datuna startled spectators. He removed the banana from its place on display at the Perrotin gallery and consumed it.