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A Rare Banana Auction

A series presented by SuperRare.

a statement.

As Sotheby’s prepares to auction Maurizio Cattelan’s Comedian—the notorious banana taped to a wall—our RARE BANANAS series and art competition will engage the work’s central irony in a way Sotheby’s cannot. Comedian isn’t merely a spectacle; it’s a critique on the absurd lengths we go to assign value, the art world’s relentless pursuit of exclusivity, and the performative nature of high art institutions. Sotheby’s seems eager to position itself as “in” on the joke, yet in doing so, it unwittingly becomes a part of what Comedian mocks: a system where even irony is treated as a commodity, bought, sold, and celebrated for profit.

Our approach isn’t to simply reproduce Comedian but to initiate a new dialogue around its themes. By crafting an open call inviting select artists to participate in this auction, we aim to underscore the very contradictions Sotheby’s embodies—where the attempt to profit from satire only highlights the institution’s own estrangement from the artwork’s message. This is where Comedian becomes praxis: an active questioning of the value structures that define “high” art and an invitation to rethink our collective attachment to the aura of exclusivity and spectacle. Comedian reminds us that, in modern society, the act of engaging with art is often mediated by screens, with viewers more focused on documenting their presence than reflecting on the work itself

Each work in this auction grapples with the paradoxes of ownership, scarcity, and institutional gatekeeping. While Sotheby’s positions Comedian as a work of high value, we recontextualize it as a collective commentary—one that invites open engagement not because of its exclusivity, but because of its universal humor. This auction activates a dialogue where artists’ contributions critically unravel the narrative Sotheby’s seeks to uphold, exposing the dissonance between institutional framing and the essence of the work itself.

At the same time, we recognize that SuperRare, as a platform, is not outside these structures—it, too, is embedded in the complexities and contradictions of the art market. By acknowledging this, the platform becomes part of the discourse, reflecting on the same absurdities and systems of value it seeks to interrogate. This self-awareness transforms SuperRare from a mere facilitator into an active participant in the critique, embracing the layered tensions of being both within and outside the structures of commodification.

In the end, this Comedian-inspired auction is more than an homage—it’s a space for dismantling the idea that significance in art relies on scarcity or elitism. By engaging with this digital satire, we invite audiences to question, laugh, and claim a share in the collective joke—a reminder that the true value of art often lies not in objects themselves, but in the shared act of reconsidering the systems that define worth.

Marcel Duchamp

Fountain, 1917

porcelain urinal

Replica in Philadelphia Museum of Art.

Virgil Abloh’s R. Mutt sweater shows how avant-garde critique becomes collectible, reshaping perceptions of luxury and “high” art. By bringing subversive art into fashion, Abloh pushed boundaries on what’s accepted as valuable. This Rare Banana auction builds on that, questioning exclusivity and inviting audiences to see value as fluid and open to reinterpretation.

The Legacy of Satire and Subversion in Art

This auction builds on a rich legacy of artists who use their work to question the boundaries of value, originality, and artistic exclusivity—only to watch institutions reabsorb these challenges as valuable assets. Maurizio Cattelan’s Comedian, a banana duct-taped to a wall, aligns with a tradition of conceptual art that mocks the systems upholding “high art” status, asking: Why does this simple, everyday object gain prestige? Why is irony itself so readily commodified? Cattelan’s piece echoes Marcel Duchamp’s Fountain (1917), the infamous urinal turned artwork, which subverted traditional definitions of art and challenged the sanctity of institutional validation. Though it was rejected by the Society of Independent Artists in New York, Fountain has since been canonized as a revolutionary work—illustrating how institutions are often the first to embrace the critique directed at them, converting rebellion into a cultural artifact.

Rauschenberg, Robert

Erased de Kooning Drawing, 1953

traces of drawing media on paper with mat and label

San Francisco Museum of Modern Art


This paradox deepens with Robert Rauschenberg’s Erased de Kooning Drawing (1953), in which Rauschenberg erased a drawing by Willem de Kooning as an exploration of creation, destruction, and originality. The work questioned the intrinsic value of an artwork, presenting an “un-creation” as a conceptual challenge to authorship. Yet, like Fountain, it eventually found its way into prestigious collections, proving once again that critique itself can be absorbed as valuable property. This tension was further explored by artists such as Piero Manzoni, who in 1961 sold cans of his own excrement labeled Artist’s Shit, aiming to push back on the sanctification of the artist’s “essence” and the art market’s willingness to sell anything associated with an artist’s persona. Ironically, the cans have become collector’s items, bought and sold as part of Manzoni’s legacy.

Philosopher Guy Debord encapsulates this phenomenon in The Society of the Spectacle (1967), arguing that capitalist culture converts dissent into consumable images, stripping critique of its power and rebranding it for profit. In Debord’s view, even the most subversive art is at risk of being neutralized by the systems it seeks to dismantle. Comedianepitomizes this cycle, where satire is treated not as a call for reflection but as another opportunity for financial gain. Sotheby’s attempt to auction Comedian reveals this dynamic in real time: what began as a playful critique of art’s commodification is transformed into a highly valuable object precisely because it ridicules the idea of value.

The artists participating in Rare Banana are responding to this legacy of critique and co-option. By engaging with Comedian’s themes—ownership, scarcity, and institutional gatekeeping—they reclaim the humor and critical intent at the core of Cattelan’s work, grounding it in a collective effort to question art’s transactional nature. The auction brings together contributions that invite audiences to reflect on how and why we assign worth, exposing the limitations of exclusivity. In doing so, this curated auction doesn’t just reference the art-historical figures who have questioned institutional power; it embodies their challenge, inviting the audience to look beyond scarcity and embrace art as a shared experience.

SuperRare’s Role in the Dialogue of Value and Access

SuperRare’s role in this conversation diverges sharply from traditional institutions. Auction houses like Sotheby’s have long framed exclusivity and scarcity as central to an artwork’s worth, creating a system where value is dictated by institutional gatekeeping. In contrast, SuperRare operates within a different paradigm—one that questions and redefines these traditional markers of value. As a digital platform, SuperRare isn’t bound by the same structural limitations; rather, it serves as a conduit for cultural dialogue, where artists and audiences can collaboratively explore how value is constructed and experienced.

This Comedian-inspired auction, then, isn’t a gesture free from financial motives but one that acknowledges the paradox of profiting from critique. While traditional auctions use scarcity as a lever to enhance value, NFTs on SuperRare offer a bridge—one that fosters open participation and verifiable ownership while preserving the integrity of digital creation. Here, Rare Banana becomes more than a satirical artwork; it’s an invitation to scrutinize the value structures we take for granted.

Moreover, this auction isn’t simply replicating Comedian but reframing its message through a curated collection of responses. In line with Guy Debord’s critique of the “society of the spectacle,” SuperRare aspires to redistribute artistic value and authorship, placing creative power in the hands of artists rather than institutions. This platform doesn’t claim to be outside the system but seeks to transform it from within by fostering a marketplace where critique, transparency, and accessibility are central.

In supporting an open exchange between artists, collectors, and the public, SuperRare doesn’t evade the complexities of the marketplace—it embraces them, seeking to disrupt traditional hierarchies by aligning cultural value with shared engagement. Through Rare Banana, SuperRare invites audiences not only to laugh or reflect but to participate in a new, inclusive model of cultural engagement—one that reshapes the meaning of ownership and democratizes access to art’s evolving value.

@pepe_unchained

Pepe is the painter.

The blockchain, his canvas.

The ecosystem, a work of fine art.