25/07/2025

LYFE FRIDAY | JULY 25, 2025

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France museum-goer eats million-dollar banana taped to wall

The city of Barcelona and the port authority plan to reduce the number of cruise ship terminals from seven to five by 2030. – PICS FROM PEXELS

A visitor to a French museum bit into a fresh banana worth millions of dollars taped to a wall last week, exhibitors said, in the latest such consumption of the conceptual artwork. Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan – whose provocative creation entitled Comedian was bought for US$6.2 million (RM26 million) in New York last year – said he was disappointed the person did not also eat the skin and the tape. After the hungry visitor struck on July 12, “security staff rapidly and calmly intervened”, the Pompidou-Metz museum in eastern France said. “(The work was)

reinstalled within minutes. As the fruit is perishable, it is regularly replaced according to instructions from the artist,” it added. Cattelan noted the banana-eater had “confused the fruit for the work of art”. “Instead of eating the banana with its skin and duct tape, the visitor just consumed the fruit,” he said.

Cattelan says the banana work is a commentary on the art market.

Limiting tourism

Ancient statue returns to Turkiye 65 years later TURKIYE has repatriated an ancient statue believed to depict Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius from the US as part of efforts to recover antiquities illegally removed from the country, the government has announced. The bronze statue, smuggled from the ancient city of Boubon – now the province of Burdur in southwest Turkiye – in the 1960s, was returned to Turkiye after 65 years, according to Turkish officials. “It was a long struggle. We were right, we were determined, we were patient and we won. We brought the ‘philosopher emperor’ Marcus Aurelius back to As well as his banana work, Cattelan is also known for producing an 18-carat, fully functioning gold toilet called America that was offered to US President Donald Trump during his first term in the White House. – AFP Cattelan’s edible creation has sparked controversy ever since it made its debut at the 2019 Art Basel show in Miami Beach. He has explained the banana work as a commentary on the art market, which he has criticised in the past for being speculative and failing to help artists. The New York Post said the asking price of US$120,000 for Comedian in 2019 was evidence that the market was “bananas” and the art world had “gone mad”. It has been eaten before. Performance artist David Datuna ate Comedian in 2019, saying he felt “hungry” while inspecting it at the Miami show. Chinese-born crypto founder Justin Sun last year forked out US$6.2 million for the work, then ate it in front of cameras.

protocol was signed in 2018. Tourism has helped drive the dynamic Spanish economy, making it the world’s second most-visited country with a record 94 million foreign visitors last year. But the boom has fuelled anger about unaffordable housing and concern that mass visitor numbers are changing the fabric of neighbourhoods, sparking protests in tourism hotspots. With its Mediterranean beaches and world-famous cultural landmarks such as the Sagrada Familia basilica, Barcelona is on the front line of mass tourism, receiving millions of visitors every year. It announced last year a plan to scrap around 10,000 tourist rental apartments by 2028 in an attempt to ease local discontent. Elsewhere in Europe, the popular Italian city of Venice introduced a charge for day visitors last year, while Greece is implementing a tax on cruise ships docking at its islands. – AFP

B ARCELONA has unveiled a plan to reduce the number of cruise passengers arriving at its port, part of a wider trend to combat overtourism in Europe’s most popular destinations. The city of Barcelona and the port authority signed an agreement to reduce the number of cruise ship terminals from seven to five by 2030, cutting traveller o Barcelona to cut cruise ship capacity amid anger against foreign visitors

capacity from 37,000 to 31,000. Spain’s second-largest city hosts one of the world’s busiest ports for cruise traffic, having received 3.65 million such passengers in 2024, according to Barcelona’s Tourism Observatory. Cruise passenger numbers grew by 20% between 2018 and 2024, Barcelona’s Socialist mayor Jaume Collboni said in a statement. “For the first time in history, limits are being set on the growth of cruise ships in the city,” Collboni added. The demolition of three existing cruise terminals and the construction of a new one will cost €185 million (RM917 million), adding to previous investments since a first

Tokyo Skytree holds special event celebrating 30th anniversary of animated hit Toy Story

TOBU Tower Skytree Co Ltd, the operator of Tokyo Skytree, is holding “To the Sky Beyond Imagination Toy Story Sky in Tokyo Skytree” to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the Toy Story movie release. The event is ongoing and will run until Oct 31. In areas such as the 450m-high Tembo Galleria, visitors can immerse themselves in the world of Toy Story through the exhibition and interior decorations. Also offered on this floor are limited-edition goods that are only available at the event and special cafe menu items. On the 350m-high Tembo Deck, exclusive videos are screened on the windows converted into a giant screen of Skytree Round Theatre every night of the event. During the evening, the exterior of the tower will have a special Toy Story -themed lighting inspired by various characters from the movie series. The event’s exclusive key visual depicts the movie characters visiting Tokyo Skytree reimagined as a playroom in the clouds. The 634m-high Tokyo Skytree is the world’s tallest free-standing broadcasting tower. It has two observation decks, the Tembo Deck, 350m high, and the Tembo Galleria, 450m high, commanding a

the land where he belongs,” Culture and Tourism Minister Mehmet Ersoy said. This unique artefact, once exhibited in the US, was repatriated to Turkiye based on scientific analyses, archival documents and witness statements, added the minister. “Through the combined power of diplomacy, law and science, the process we conducted with the New York Manhattan District Attorney’s Office and the US Homeland Security Investigations Unit is more than just a repatriation – it is a historical achievement. Marcus Aurelius’s return to our country is a concrete result of our years-long pursuit of justice,” Ersoy said. – AFP

The headless statue on display at the Cleveland Museum of Art before its return to Turkiye. – PIC FROM INSTAGRAM @CLEVELANDMUSEUMOF ART

The 634m-high Tokyo Skytree is the world’s tallest free-standing broadcasting tower. spectacular panoramic view of Tokyo. At night, Tokyo Skytree is colourfully lit up in three lighting styles – Iki , characterised by a pale blue, Miyabi ,

The event will run until Oct 31. – PIC FROM INSTAGRAM @TOKYOSKYTREE featuring Edo purple and the Nobori auspicious tangerine hue. Special lighting can be seen during seasonal and other events.