A playful art piece inspired by a banana and fuelled by a chilli obsession.
I couldn’t help but be amused by Maurizio Cattelan’s now-famous artwork where he simply duct-taped a banana to a wall. It sparked something in my mind, a desire to take that playful, slightly absurd concept and put my own spin on it in the digital realm. The result is my digital artwork, “Duct Tape Chilli.”
As you might guess from the name, in my version, the humble banana has been replaced by a vibrant red chilli. This little switcheroo is driven by my newfound (and rapidly growing) obsession with all things chilli – from carefully tending to tiny seedlings to dreaming up fiery hot sauce concoctions. It also ties directly into the recent launch of my YouTube channel, Forking Hot, where I’ll be sharing my chilli-growing adventures, recipes, tips, and probably a few mishaps along the way.
So, this “Duct Tape Chilli” piece is a bit of a wink and a nod, a playful little marketing stunt to hopefully grab some attention and bring a bit of fun and flavour to my new channel. Think of it as my digital equivalent of a slightly silly, but hopefully memorable, billboard.
I’ve also been reading Austin Kleon’s “Steal Like an Artist” recently, and this artwork is a pretty direct result of that mindset – taking an existing idea and transforming it through my own interests and current passions. It’s about seeing what resonates and running with it.
For me, “Duct Tape Chilli” is as much about the creative process itself as it is about the final image. It’s about embracing imperfections, learning through doing, and not taking things too seriously. I might not have perfectly nailed every detail just yet – the duct tape could be shinier, the chilli could have more dimension – but that’s part of the journey. This is just the beginning, both in my explorations with digital art and in my chilli-growing adventures.
Device: iPad Gen 9 & Apple Pencil Gen 1
Apps: Procreate
