Published 16:50 IST, December 10th 2019
New York performance artist who ate $120K banana art says he's 'not sorry'
The New York-based artist who ate the famous $120K banana at the Art Basel exhibition said that he is not sorry for destroying the piece by eating a part of it.
The New York-based performance artist who ate the famous $1,20,000 banana at the Art Basel exhibition in Miami Beach told an international media outlet that he would have eaten the banana sooner, only he was 'not too hungry'. David Datuna the performance artist further went on to say that he is not sorry for destroying the piece by eating a part of it. The strange artwork was installed by an Italian artist, Maurizio Cattelan who named his masterpiece 'Comedian'. The incident was caught on camera by a visitor at the museum who had posted it on Instagram, in turn, making it viral.
While talking to an international media outlet Datuna said that he had decided in the morning to eat the banana but since he was not hungry he spent another two hours to the Basel and ate the banana later. He further added that this is the first time in art history where one artist eats concept for another artist. He also explained that he hadn't destroyed the piece by eating part of it. Datuna said that the incident was not like vandalism instead it was art performance from him. Speaking to a New York Publication Datuna said that the banana was 'delicious'. When asked if it was better than a regular banana, he answered that it was so adding that he could eat the banana and the concept of the banana — because he is an artist and not a regular human. He added that he loved the Italian creator of the art, Maurizio Cattelan saying that one artist eats another artist is fun.
'Hungry Artist'
As per reports, David Datuna made a last supper out of the fruit, prying Maurizio Cattelan’s “Comedian” — a banana duct-taped to a wall — loose, peeled it open, and then devoured it. Though the Gallery owners reported about him to the security, he slipped off. Datuna named his act of eating the banana as 'Hungry Artist'. Perrotin Gallery partner Peggy Leboeuf told the media that while he was eating the art one of the onlookers shouted that he was not supposed to touch the art. Meanwhile, the gallery has insisted that the piece lives on. Spokesman Lucien Terras told the media that he did not eat the artwork as the banana is the idea. The artwork came to limelight when a French collector purchased it for $1,20,000. The artwork became so popular that its creator Cattelan promptly created two more works of fruit.
Updated 17:05 IST, December 10th 2019