Maurizio Cattelan is known in Poland for his famous sculpture “La nona ora (The Ninth Hour)”, which depicts John Paul II crushed by a meteorite. The work was exhibited in 2000 at Zachęta at the Jubilee Exhibition on the occasion of the centenary of the institution’s existence. Its curator, Harald Szeemann, said it was “the most Polish work I’ve ever seen”. However, the exhibition ended in a scandal, the destruction of the sculpture and the dismissal of then-director Andy Rottenberg. Negative moods around her were fueled by right-wing politicians and publicists.
A student ate a banana from the installation. He has his own interpretation of it
Almost 20 years later, the Italian artist presented the world with his installation “Comedian”, which consists only of a banana glued to the wall with silver tape. It is currently on display at Seoul’s Leeum Museum of Art, where it is part of Cattelan’s “WE” exhibition. It was there that an unusual incident occurred involving a South Korean student named Noh Huyn-soo. A young man tore the tape off the wall and ate a banana, all this was recorded by his friend.
The Seoul museum told South Korean media that it would not seek compensation from the student. Because the banana on display is usually replaced every two or three days anyway. However, the “guilty” himself told the media that in his opinion Cattelan’s installation is an expression of rebellion against the authorities:
And yet there may also be a revolt against the rebellion, he noted. The destruction of a work of art can be seen as a work of art. I thought it might be interesting. Wasn’t the banana taped down to be eaten?
Noh Huyn-soo also added that he did it because he was hungry and didn’t eat breakfast. The Italian artist, having learned about the whole incident, said that nothing had happened and he did not see any problem with it. It is worth noting that this is not the first time that “Comedian” has been destroyed. After the installation was sold for 120,000 dollars, one of the performers David Datun quickly tore the tape off the wall and ate a banana. Then immediately a new fruit was glued to the wall.
Source: Gazeta
Bruce is a talented author and journalist with a passion for entertainment . He currently works as a writer at the 247 News Agency, where he has established himself as a respected voice in the industry.
