The Sigg Art Foundation unveiled The Bunnyman (2026), the first sculpture created by Johnny Depp, at the 21st edition of Contemporary Istanbul. The two-meter white bronze work is on view outdoors at Tersane Istanbul, the historic Ottoman shipyard on the Golden Horn, as one of the fair’s special projects, until 27 September 2026.
Realized through a collaboration between the Sigg Art Foundation, Pantheon Art, and Fonderia Artistica Battaglia in Milan, the sculpture gives three-dimensional form for the first time to a recurring figure in Depp’s visual practice. The Bunnyman has appeared across his sketches, paintings, and prints, including the limited-edition series Friends & Heroes and Bunnyman Genesis.
A half-human, half-rabbit guardian carrying a “sword of truth”, The Bunnyman connects childhood memory with imagination. Its origins lie in a sketch Depp’s son, Jack, made at around age 5, which led Depp to realize he had recalled a recurring dream he had experienced at a similar age. In the dream, a faceless figure stood at the top of the basement stairs in his childhood home in Kentucky.
“When people see the painting I did — The Bunnyman — they always ask the same question: where did it come from? Some character that Jack had scribbled, beautiful scribbles into that shape, that image, reminded me of a kind of recurrent dream that I had as a child, probably around Jack’s age, five, six…”, said Depp.
Cast at Fonderia Artistica Battaglia using the lost-wax method, the sculpture draws on a process associated with artists Depp admires, including Alberto Giacometti and Marino Marini. The use of sand in the casting process echoes the moving grains Depp recalls within the figure’s body in his dream. The sculpture also extends a two-meter canvas made with layers of Rizla papers against a bold red ground, translating an image developed through painting and collage into permanent sculptural form.
The collaboration began with a meeting between Depp and Pierre Sigg in AlUla, Saudi Arabia. It builds on the Foundation’s experience of large-scale sculptural projects, including a sculpture park in Le Castellet, and its support for artists exploring history, cultural heritage, and innovation.
“Contemporary Istanbul now draws international artists and galleries who would not have considered it a decade ago. I wanted to contribute to that shift, first as an International Executive Board Member of the fair, then through the Sigg Art Foundation’s participation as a special project. This year we are presenting Johnny Depp’s first sculpture. That an artist of his standing chose Istanbul tells you where the fair sits today. Contemporary Istanbul has earned its place,” said Pierre Sigg, Founder of the Sigg Art Foundation.
The Istanbul presentation coincides with A Bunch of Stuff at the Modern Art Museum Shanghai, which opened on 15 August 2026 and encompasses more than 200 works. The Shanghai exhibition also features The Bunnyman, which connects the two presentations at the sculpture’s public launch.
For more information on Depp’s exhibits, check www. siggartfoundation.com
