Crypto Mogul Justin Sun Hands Over $6.2 Million Banana Artwork to Recently Pardoned Silk Road Founder
At the Bitcoin 2025 conference, cryptocurrency entrepreneur Justin Sun made headlines once again by presenting a $6.2 million conceptual artwork—a banana duct-taped to a wall—to Ross Ulbricht, the founder of Silk Road, who was pardoned earlier this year by former President Donald Trump after serving over a decade in prison.
During the handover at the Las Vegas conference, Ulbricht—who was released from maximum-security prison just months ago—accepted the gift with a sense of humor. When an audience member questioned what would happen when the banana inevitably spoiled, Ulbricht replied, “In a week, I’m going to have to replace it.” Sun, playing to the crowd, quipped, “It’s a decentralized banana,” drawing laughter and applause.
The event marks a new chapter in the saga of Cattelan’s Comedian. Sun had previously eaten the banana at a press conference in Hong Kong last year, emphasizing the ephemeral nature of both the artwork and the cryptocurrency world. The piece comes with a certificate allowing its owner to recreate it, underscoring the idea that the value lies not in the perishable fruit, but in the concept itself—an idea familiar to those who trade in digital assets.
Ulbricht, who gave his first public speech since his release at the same event, wore a red tie as a nod to his controversial pardon. The exchange between Sun and Ulbricht—two figures deeply intertwined with the rise of cryptocurrency—symbolizes the ongoing intersection of art, digital culture, and the crypto movement.
As the banana continues to make headlines, one thing is clear: in the worlds of contemporary art and cryptocurrency, value and meaning are often as fleeting—and as open to interpretation—as the fruit itself.
