Roberto Montanaro - Banana Unchained #1

In an art world still obsessed with Maurizio Cattelan's Comedian – the famous real banana attached to the wall with gray tape – this tactile work arrives as a vibrant, ironic, and muscular response. While Cattelan's piece represented the passivity of the object, this painting sculpture embodies action, rebellion, and permanence.
Beyond Cattelan, the reference is unmistakable, but here the artist performs an act of semantic inversion. In Comedian, the banana is a victim: a perishable fruit, trapped against its will, destined to rot or be eaten. In this work, the banana is no longer just a fruit: it is an anthropomorphic character. Equipped with muscular arms and a heroic pose, it has torn off the adhesive tape that defined it as a 'joke.' It is the revenge of the art object that refuses to be ephemeral.
The visual impact is purely Pop Art.
The choice of a monochromatic electric blue (which almost recalls International Klein Blue or Jeff Koons' sculptures) creates a violent and playful contrast with the saturated yellow of the background. This pairing of primary/complementary colors immediately catches the eye and emphasizes the artificial nature of the work. We are not looking at nature; we are looking at an idea.
The clarity of the finish gives the work a 'plastic-like' and commercial appearance, typical of toy art aesthetics. The adhesive tape, rendered in a sculptural and rigid manner, captures the moment of tearing.
The choice to frame the object in a shadow box (deep frame) elevates the subject from simple decoration to a museum artifact. The composition is centered, but the movement of the arms creates a dynamism that breaks the static nature of the frame. We see the tension in the 'muscles' of the banana as it crumples the tape that once held it captive.
This work is a fun and clever meta-commentary on contemporary art. If Cattelan told us that 'anything can be art if hung on the wall,' this artist responds that 'art is alive and breaks free from labels.'

It's a piece that brings a smile, perfect for those who love bold design and aren't afraid of a touch of conscious kitsch. It represents the perfect synthesis between conceptual irony and the aesthetic pleasure of modern Pop Art.