Recently someone, a college student to be specific,
ate a piece of art in a South Korean museum that sold for as much as $120,000.
>> He ate the art?
>> He ate the art.
What was the art?
Well, it was a single banana that was duct taped to the wall, to which.
>> Let him go, let him go.
>> We actually have a video of this bizarre incident,
so let's take a look at that.
>> What a crime.
>> [FOREIGN].
>> Great, awesome.
How did that sell for $120,000?
Like, apparently people have money to waste, the money to burn on nonsense.
Like, there are artists out there who do work, like real work, right.
>> Yeah.
>> I'm sorry, I've been open minded about modern art in the past.
I'm not open minded about this.
It's just a banana duct tape to the wall, that's not art.
>> No.
>> It took no thought, it means nothing.
>> So modern artists, get ready to hate me.
Look, I've explained the modern art that I do like, and there's perfectly symbolic,
really interesting stuff that people put together, when you put thought into it and
it speaks to people.
Great, I love it, okay.
But unfortunately, a giant percentage of modern artists,
I don't know, we ran out of ideas, okay.
And it turns out rich people buy anything they'll buy,
the dumb asses will buy a banana, duct tape to a wall for $120,000.
Rob them blind.
I get it, first of all, artists rob them blind, I don't care.
So I'm not hating on you artists, on the other hand, am I gonna say,
my God, that guy just cost someone $120,000, put him in jail.
No, it's a freaking banana, okay.
No one cares.
By the way, they have to replace the banana anyway, it's gonna rot.
So what freaking difference does it make?
>> So the piece, if you wanna call it that, is titled Comedian by
an Italian artist that has a hot sounding name, Maurizio Cattelan.
Okay, now.
>> And by the way, if Maurizio Cattelan is upset, I don't care.
That art, if you're tricking rich people into buying it,
then congratulations, I like you we should hang out, okay.
But if you thought that was real art and you're really upset,
get the f out of here.
>> Yeah, I like that we're just like picking fights with random people,
it's random.
But seriously.
>> But seriously, come on.
>> Okay, so, ironically the student who ate the banana said that he was
making his own kinda art by eating the banana.
>> But by the way, why not?
>> Why not?
>> No, I'm serious, why not?
Maybe that's worth $150,000.
>> Why are we so angry?
This is such a silly story, we're so angry.
>> I know, because we did other stories that I got to say today.
>> We were covering terrible news today, and I think that bad mood is bleeding into
this story, which is meant to be light and fun.
But no, I am a little salty that, it feels like there's so many people in
the world who just have this lucky streak of making money off of doing nothing.
When do we get that?
>> Yeah, no, our problem, you know what our problem is.
We're not shameless.
And that's the number one way to make money in America, and
now the world is being shameless.
>> 1000%.
>> So, I'm not hating the player, I'm hating the game.
Okay, so Maurizio was like, I don't know these idiots will buy anything.
I'll just duct tape a banana to a wall.
>> But who knows?
Maybe Maurizio, maybe that banana really meant something to him.
>> Well the, I'm sorry, Maurizio, then you're an idiot.
>> No don't call him an idiot, maybe there's something.
>> It doesn't mean a goddamn thing, okay.
It's a freaking banana on a wall with duct tape.
It doesn't mean anything at all.
And by the way, that guy did zero damage, take new banana, put the duct tape back
on, congratulations, you're back at $120,000 for any moron who wanna buy it.
>> All right, so going back to the gentleman who ate the artwork,
he says that he created art of his own.
He said, quote, I found it fun in that defacing a work of
art could be seen as work of art itself.
He said to the Korean broadcaster KBS,
adding that he told the museum he had eaten the banana which is replaced
every few days as it is a real ripening banana because he was hungry.
>> I swear to God, they put that kid in jail, we're gonna do a jailbreak.
>> No, they didn't put him in jail.
>> [LAUGH].
I know, I'm just saying, if there's any actual consequences to this,
we're coming to South Korea.
>> He also said, and I don't think I saw anyone else do something like this, so
I just went ahead and did it for fun.
Don't they put the banana on the wall for eating anyway?
Okay.
His name's Noh.
Noh isn't the only person, by the way, to interpret the artwork that way.
So performance artist, David Datuna fun name,
also ate the banana when comedian was displayed at Art Basel in Miami in 2019.
My God, this has been around for a while.
This banana art, has been around for a while, since 2019.
>> Just, guys, for all of you buying the banana art, for God's sake,
go help someone.
You're probably doing it for a tax break, I hope you're doing it for a tax break.
Otherwise, Jesus Christ, go buy a clue instead, okay.
But go help people with $120,000.
Do you have any idea how many people you could help?
How many bananas you can give to other people?
>> Okay, so, the artist here, the Italian guy,
he says that he has forced viewers to consider the meaning of art for years.
Okay, so let's give you some more information on that.
To some critics, Cattelan's work is lazily simple.
I think we fall under that category of critics.
>> Just say the least.
>> To others, it is deliberately austere.
>> [LAUGH].
Or use fancy words like that.
>> No, no freaking our world, man.
>> Deliberately austere.
No.
>> Total and utter fraud.
>> Come on.
The Guggenheim offered to lend one of his pieces, a gold toilet titled America.
I like that one.
>> Yeah, that one at least got meaning. >> That was good.
To the White House after the Trump administration had asked to borrow
a Van Gogh to furnish the President's living quarters.
>> You're gonna let Trump borrow a Van Gogh?
>> We're so embarrassing, guys.
>> He's gonna get catch up on it, come on.
>> [LAUGH].
Okay, Van Gogh to furnish the President's living quarters.
When asked about the toilet, by the Washington Post at the time,
Cattelan said in a rare phone interview, quote.
What's the point of our life?
Everything seems absurd until we die, and then it makes sense.
>> I got news for you, it doesn't make sense.
>> No, it never makes sense.
Nothing ever makes sense.
>> Yeah, and your banana with the duct tape is never,
ever gonna make sense in any life or afterlife.
With the golden toilet seat, there's some logic to that one.
I might not merciful, look, I found the banana unappealing, but
I find the gold toilet seat a little bit more appealing.