Crypto entrepreneur Justin Sun on Friday fulfilled a promise he made after spending $6.2 million (R112 million) on an paintings that includes a banana duct-taped to a wall – by consuming the fruit.

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At one in every of Hong Kong’s priciest inns, Sun chomped down on a banana in entrance of dozens of journalists and influencers after giving a speech hailing the work as “iconic” and drew parallels between conceptual artwork and cryptocurrency.

First style

“It’s much better than other bananas,” Sun mentioned after getting his first style.

“It’s really quite good.”

As reported by The South African website, titled “Comedian”, the conceptual work created by Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan was bought at a Sotheby’s public sale in New York final week, with Sun amongst seven bidders.

Sun mentioned he felt “disbelief” within the first 10 seconds after he gained the bid, earlier than realising “this could become something big”.

In the ten seconds after that, he determined he would eat the banana.

“Eating it at a press conference can also become a part of the artwork’s history,” he mentioned on Friday.

The debut of the edible creation on the 2019 Art Basel present in Miami Beach sparked controversy and raised questions on whether or not it needs to be thought of artwork – Cattelan’s acknowledged purpose.

And Sun on Friday in contrast conceptual artwork like “Comedian” to NFT artwork and decentralised blockchain know-how.

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

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Sun additionally this week disclosed a $30 million funding in World Liberty Financial, a crypto challenge backed by US president-elect Donald Trump.

The crypto businessman was final 12 months charged by the US Securities and Exchange Commission with providing and promoting unregistered securities in relation to his crypto challenge Tron.

The case is ongoing.

At a operate room on the Peninsula resort in Hong Kong, two males dressed as public sale home workers stood in entrance of a featureless wall with the yellow banana providing the one splash of color.

Sun mentioned he solely just lately determined to bid for the paintings, including he had “dumb questions” reminiscent of whether or not the banana had decayed and the way to worth the work.

The paintings proprietor is given a certificates of authenticity that the work was created by Cattelan in addition to directions about the way to exchange the fruit when it goes dangerous.

Event attendees on Friday every obtained a roll of duct tape and a banana as a memento.

What’s essentially the most you’d be ready to pay for a banana?

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