An art exhibit in a South Korea museum was momentarily destroyed Monday after a hungry college student devoured it.
Noh Huyn-soo was visiting Seoul’s Leeum Museum of Art when his decision to skip breakfast caught up with him. As his visit stretched past lunch, he found himself facing Maurizio Cattelan’s art exhibit entitled “Comedian,” which consists of a banana duct-taped to the wall, NPR reported. Unable to resist the temptation of the forbidden piece of fruit, Noh promptly ripped the banana off the wall and devoured it before reattaching the peel to the wall, much to the horror of museum staffers, the outlet stated.
With one ‘hungry’ student scoffing the banana, the artist behind the installation has said it’s ‘no problem’https://t.co/l9OdDXqNUe
— Daily Star (@dailystar) May 2, 2023
The $120,000 exhibit was restored approximately thirty minutes later when museum staff procured another banana to replace the one Noh had eaten, telling Korean outlets they do not plan on pursuing charges against the hungry college student, NPR reported.
Noh, who studies aesthetics and religion at Seoul National University, was seemingly unrepentant of his actions, wondering to Korean news outlets if the true intent of fruit in the exhibit was for consumption. Noh further suggested his decision to eat the fruit could qualify as art, as he transformed the work with his act and put it back on display, NPR reported. (RELATED: University Art Display Impales U.S. Flag, Said To Be A ‘Discussion Starter’)
Noh’s suggestion was seemingly acceptable to Cattelan, who was reportedly told of the situation and replied that Noh’s decision to snack on his exhibit “wasn’t a problem,” the outlet stated.