Banana drama: ‘hungry’ South Korean student eats $120,000 artwork

Footage shows Noh Huyn-soo unpeeling and eating piece of fruit in work by Maurizio Cattelan before reattaching skin to wall

A South Korean art student who ate a banana that formed part of a renowned installation by the Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan said he did so because he was “hungry”.

Noh Huyn-soo was filmed brazenly removing the banana, which was duct-taped on to a wall at the Leeum Museum of Art in Seoul, unpeeling it and eating it in front of stunned onlookers before reattaching the banana skin to the wall using the same tape and walking off with a satisfied grin.