A college student at a Seoul art museum ate a ripe banana that was attached to the wall as part of an artwork, and he justified it by saying that he was "hungry" because he hadn't had breakfast.
South Korean Student Eats Maurizio Cattelan's $120,000 Banana Artwork Because He Was Hungry
By
Haider Ali in
Bizarre
On 2nd May 2023
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Instagram / @shwan.han
According to reports in the media, a South Korean art student who was "hungry" ate a $120,000 work of art that consisted of a banana taped to a wall.
At the Leeum Museum of Art in Seoul, Noh Huyn-soo was captured on camera removing and peeling the fruit in front of shocked bystanders, according to The Guardian.
The banana skin was then taped to the wall using the same duct tape before he left.
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Instagram / @shwan.han
After skipping breakfast, he claimed to be hungry when asked by museum staff why he had eaten the fruit, according to the Korea Herald.
Additionally, it was reported that he said to the broadcasting station KBS that "damaging a work of modern art could also be [interpreted as] artwork."
"I thought it would be interesting … isn’t it taped there to be eaten?" he added.
Instagram / @shwan.han
The banana was a component of the "Comedian" artwork by Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan.
At Miami Art Basel in 2019, it was purchased for $120,000.
The fruit was taken out and consumed by performance artist David Datuna during that exhibition's opening.
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Instagram / @shwan.han
The gold toilet that the famed Guggenheim Museum in New York City gave to the White House was also created by an Italian.
The museum suggested the toilet as an alternative after Van Gogh's "Landscape With Snow" from 1888 was requested to be displayed in the home.
According to CNN and NPR, "Comedian," a painting by the 62-year-old Italian artist that depicts the fruit attached to a wall, is on display at the Leeum Museum of Art in South Korea.
Instagram / @shwan.han
"The student told the museum he ate it because he was hungry," a museum spokesperson told CNN.
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At the time, Datuna described his acts as an "art performance" and gave the event the name "Hungry Artist."
Officials from the Leeum Museum informed CNN that Cattelan had no comment on the most recent event.
"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 museum spokesperson told the outlet.
According to CNN, the banana itself, which is on display as part of a solo show through July 16th, is typically changed every two to three days.