Can a Banana Be Art?

Can a delicious piece of fruit be an artwork?

And what happens when someone decides to eat it?

These may be very odd questions, but they were actually asked and answered during an art show in the United States.

The incident occurred at a major art gallery in Miami, Florida.

A recent group exhibition there included an ordinary banana that was taped to the white wall of the gallery.

It was not a snack that an employee was saving for later, however.

Rather, it was an art installation titled "The Comedian."

The controversial artwork was created by an Italian artiest named Maurizio Cattlan.

This artist is famous for making shocking and irreverent artistic statements.

In the past, he once presented a toilet made of 18-carat gold and called it art.

In Miami, Cattelan's work again turned out to be the talk of the town.

Surprisingly, an art collector even decided to buy the banana on the wall for 120,000 dollars.

Some visitors to the gallery said that they loved the simple art piece.

They said it was meant to be fun, crazy, and sarcastic.

Other visitors, however, were offended by "The Comedian."

They considered it to be an arrogant gesture by the conceptual artist.

During the exhibition, yet another controversy occurred over "The Comedian."

A performance artist from New York walked into the gallery and took the banana off the wall.

While a shocked crowd watched, he proceeded to eat the expensive fruit.

"I love Maurizio Cattelan's artwork and I really love this installation," the performance artist wrote on social media.

"It's very delicious."

 

• odd ɑːd 이상한, 특이한 (→peculiar)  Rather  꽤, 약간, 상당히 , 오히려, 차라리   controversial ˌkɑːntrəˈvɜːrʃl 논란이 많은 

• artwork ˈɑːrtwɜːrk 미술품  irreverent ɪˈrevərənt 불손한, 불경한 statement ˈsteɪtmənt 성명, 진술, 서술 , 표현

• present  제시[제출]하다 / 현재의 / 선물 , 현재, 지금  turn out 모습을 드러내다[나타나다] (→관련 명사는 turnout)

• sarcastic sɑːr|kæstɪk 빈정대는, 비꼬는 be meant to R ~하기로 되어 있다. ~할 예정이다  offend əˈfend 기분 상하게[불쾌하게] 하다

• arrogant ˈærəɡənt 오만한  conceptual kənˈseptʃuəl 개념의, 구상의  conceptual artist 개념 예술가