It was low hanging fruit.
An art installation of a ripe banana taped to a wall at a Seoul art museum was devoured by a student who defended himself by saying he was “hungry” after skipping breakfast.
The enduring work “The Comedian” by Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan was on display as part of the “WE” exhibition at the Leeum Museum of Art, which focuses on traditional Korean art and contemporary art.
On Thursday, Noh Huyn-soo, a student at Seoul National University, was visiting an art exhibition when he apparently had a craving for the famous potassium-rich snack.
Noh’s impromptu feast lasted greater than a minute and was captured on video, which showed the coed unceremoniously peeling off the artwork and having fun with the healthy treat, which was previously valued at $120,000.
After eating the forbidden fruit, the hungry museum-goer re-attached the rind to the wall with artist’s duct tape and quietly walked away.
When asked by museum officials why he devoured edible art, the coed reportedly said he missed breakfast and was hungry, in accordance with BBC news.
In a subsequent interview with local news site KBS, Noh argued that “destroying a piece of contemporary art will also be a piece of art.”
“Is not it stuck there to eat?” Well, he said.
Cattelan calmly took the destruction of his artwork, saying he had “no problem” with a visitor eating it.
On the artist’s request, the banana is replaced by museum curators every two days.
This is not the primary time Cattelan’s viral artwork has been eaten.
In 2019, performer David Datuna swallowed a world-famous banana after it was sold for $120,000 at Art Basel in Miami.
Datuna openly remarked in an Instagram post: “I actually love this installation. It’s extremely delicious.” He later denied that his actions were vandalism and defended the feat as a piece of performance art.
The Leeum Museum said it will not hold Noh answerable for eating the banana, which was later replaced with a fresh one.