South Korean art student eats $120,000 banana art installation; Here’s why he did it

In a rather peculiar incident in South Korea, an art student ended up eating a $120,000 banana art installation only to later clarify that he did so because he was “hungry”. Noh Huyn-soo consumed the banana which was a part of the well-known installation by Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan.

The occurrence, which was caught on video, showed Noh removing the grey duct tape over the banana at the Leeum Museum of Art in Seoul before unpeeling it and eating it in front of the onlookers. The visitors to the museum in the South Korean capital were left stunned as Noh consumed the fruit. Moreover, after eating the banana, the South Korean student used the same tape to reattach the banana skin to the same wall and then left with a grin on his face.

Noh’s consumption of the $120,000 banana art installation, which lasted a minute, was captured by his friend. As per reports, Noh is a student at Seoul National University.

Why did Noh eat the banana art installation?

In the aftermath, when the museum authorities asked Noh about the reason behind his actions, the South Korean student said that he was hungry because he had skipped breakfast, as per the Korea Herald. However, he later told KBS that he thought that “damaging” a work of modern art could alps be interpreted as artwork.

Noh also revealed that he came up with the idea to reattach the peel after eating the fruit as a “joke” and that it would be “interesting”. According to the report, he also said, “Isn’t it taped there to be eaten?”

How did the creator of the art installation react?

As per reports, the Italian sculptor and performance artist based in New York, Maurizio Cattelan reacted to the incident involving Noh by saying “No Problem”. It is mentioned that the banana in Cattelan's Comedian artwork is substituted every 2-3 days. Noh is not the first person to scoff the banana from the work. Earlier in 2019, when Cattelan’s work debuted at Miami Art Basel, performance artist David Datuna removed and ate the banana. The piece of art known as "Comedian" from Cattelan's display "WE" was comprised of a mature banana that was secured to a wall using duct tape.

Cattelan, originally from Padua, is renowned for his controversial artworks that confront the mainstream culture.

FAQs:

Q1:Who is the South Korean student who ate a banana from an art installation?
Noh Huyn-soo, a student at Seoul National University.

Q2:Who is Maurizio Cattelan?
Maurizio Cattelan is an Italian sculptor and performance artist based in New York. Originally from Padua, he is renowned for his controversial artworks that confront the mainstream culture.