Can You Have Your Banana and Eat It Too?

What does it mean to consume art? Recently, cryptocurrency billionaire Justin Sun made headlines when he purchased Maurizio Cattelan’s “Comedian” for a staggering $6.2 million at a Sotheby’s auction. This piece, which features a banana duct-taped to a wall, symbolizes impermanence as it is replaced each time it rots. Sun announced his intention to “personally eat the banana” as part of his “unique artistic experience.”

While Sun may view eating the banana as a radical act, some argue that the true radical gesture would be to waste a 49-cent banana for which he overpaid by millions. Regardless, consuming the banana does not erase the art. As evidenced by Piero Manzoni’s “Artist’s Shit” from 1961, which presented sealed human waste in a tin can as art, the transformation of art into waste does not diminish its significance.

In his 1933 essay “The Psychological Structure of Fascism,” Georges Bataille explores the concept of heterogeneous existence, where elements that cannot be assimilated are expelled from the societal sphere. This includes waste products and sacred figures, both of which are deemed heterogeneous and therefore marginalized. This expulsion of the sacred and profane plays a crucial role in maintaining societal homogeneity.

Manzoni’s “Artist’s Shit” challenges the notion of waste by presenting it as art, thereby blurring the lines between the sacred and profane. Similarly, works like Mike Kelley’s Garbage Drawings series and GG Allin’s performative defecation highlight the divine otherness of the profane. While Cattelan’s “Comedian” may seem like homogenous matter, it serves as a critique of exploitative capitalist systems, despite its seemingly mundane origin.

Sun’s decision to eat the banana has sparked controversy, but in the context of Bataille’s theories, it holds transformative potential. If Sun plans to use his body as a vessel to create art that supports ethical practices, such as planting banana trees for sustainable harvesting, his actions could have a positive impact on society. Perhaps, instead of criticizing Sun, we should consider the broader implications of his unconventional artistic approach.