Artistic expression, for many, is a way of denouncing and stirring up consciences. For others, it is a way of transmitting emotions or experiences. Then there's Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan who, with touches of provocation and a sense of humor, sold his latest artwork, a banana duct-taped to a wall, for $120,000. Now, and for the second time in its history, this work has been devoured during an exhibition at the Leeum Museum of Art in Seoul.
This time it happened in Seoul. As highlighted by the BBC and posted by the Korean channel KBS on Twitter, a young tourist who was watching the work uprooted the banana, took the time to eat the work and, after that, left the skin back in its place.
The young man's name is Noh Huyn-soo and he is an art student from South Korea. After eating the work — called "Comedian", part of Cattelan's "WE" exhibition — he claimed to have done so because he was "hungry" after skipping breakfast.
The artwork consisted of a ripe banana taped to a wall at the Leeum Museum of Art in Seoul.
The museum later placed a new banana in the same spot, local media reported. In addition, reports indicate that the banana is replaced every two or three days. The Leeum Museum of Art said it will not seek damages against the student.
In videos posted online, cries of "excuse me" can be heard as Mr. Noh removes the banana from the wall. He doesn't respond and begins to eat as the room goes silent.
Noh later told local media that he saw Cattelan's work as a rebellion against a certain authority. "Damaging a piece of art could also be seen as a piece of art, I thought it would be interesting... Isn't it stuck there to eat it?"
When told about the incident, Mr Cattelan said: "No problem."
This is not the first time a visitor has eaten bananas used for Mr. Cattelan's work.
In 2019, performance artist David Datuna pulled the banana off the wall after the artwork sold for $120,000 at Art Basel in Miami.
