An art student based in South Korea decided to consume a pricey art installation to curb his hunger.
On Saturday, the unnamed student from Seoul National University removed a banana that was taped to the wall and proceeded to eat it. The installation was created by Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan and was displayed at the Leeum Museum of Art in Seoul, South Korea, according to CNN.
After eating the banana, the student taped the peel back onto the wall. The museum later replaced it with a fresh one. The banana itself is replaced regularly “every two to three days.”
In 2019, the artwork, entitled “Comedian,” sold for a whopping $120,000 at Art Basel Miami Beach. It “became one of the art world’s biggest viral moments.” It will be on display until July 16 and is not for sale.
A spokesperson for the museum revealed to CNN the simple reasoning behind why the student ate the fruit.
“The student told the museum he ate it because he was hungry,” the spokesperson said.
The museum spokesperson also shared how the artist reacted to the bizarre incident.
“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,” the spokesperson added.
This is not the first time a stunt like this has happened.
Student Says He Ate $120K Art Installation Of Banana Taped To Wall Because ‘He Was Hungry’ https://t.co/QViYyfDpOn pic.twitter.com/eaC97wSJFL
— Daily Wire News (@DailyWireNews) May 1, 2023
In 2019, following the first edition of “Comedian,” performance artist David Datuna detached the banana that was displayed at the Perrotin Gallery at Art Basel in Miami and ate it.
On Instagram, Datuna posted a video of himself in the act and boasted about it in the caption.
“‘Hungry Artist’ art performance by me. I love Maurizio Cattelan artwork and I really love this installation.
It’s very delicious,” he wrote.
According to The Collector, Cattelan is described as “a prankster and troublemaker.”
In 2016, he created an 18-carat gold toilet installation worth an estimated $1.25 million. The functional toilet was put on display at the Guggenheim Museum in New York for visitors to use as they please.
“The artwork is a satirical commentary on art, money, greed and capitalism,” according to the publication.
