What usually comes to mind about cryptocurrencies is digital: laptops, wallet apps, charts, websites. However, over the last few years, it’s been possible to see how crypto has also stepped outside, in the form of symbolic sculptures. They’re scattered into parks, art galleries, and different public spaces, available for everyone to see.
If you like the idea of strolling through a park and stumbling upon a statue of Satoshi Nakamoto or some other crypto-related artifact, that's quite possible in several cities around the world. Let's explore!
Crypto Art Exhibitions
Some pieces aren’t meant for parks, but for art galleries. These artworks appear here and there in mostly temporary exhibitions, but they’re evidence enough of crypto’s influence on the art world. An early example was set by the
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qsUq7bGoLI0&embedable=true
It may sound digital, but they have mechanical bodies with unique designs, and a “soul” built on a Decentralized Autonomous Organization (DAO) on Ethereum. If someone “feeds” them tokens, they can “hire” an artist to reproduce. Since 2017, the group behind this project has organized gallery exhibitions in cities like Basel (Switzerland), Rome (Italy), Linz (Austria), San Francisco (USA), Paris (France), and London (UK). There's probably more to come.
In the same vein, the Schinkel Pavillon (in Berlin, Germany) hosted the exhibition "
The machine was inside an installation composed of a large, inflatable, and otherwise empty “bubble” in the middle of the room. Called “Tropical Mining Station”, this setup alluded to how cryptos have been considered a
Crypto Connection
Head to the Observation Point on London’s South Bank, and you'll find a sculpture that, at first glance, looks like it belongs in a maternity ward. It's a three-meter-tall bronze piece depicting a pregnant woman's torso, complete with a baby. That's when you realize why it's not in a hospital: the baby is holding a smartphone. This artwork, installed in 2018, is named “Crypto Connection,” and its author is the Italian Federico Clapis.
Often
Some years later, in 2021, Clapis released just the baby of the sculpture (“
Mirroring Satoshi
We still don’t know the identity of Satoshi Nakamoto,
Disappearing Satoshis
More of Satoshi’s sculptures would come, of course. In 2024, Italian artist Valentina Picozzi created her own version, this one built with layered metal pieces that tend to disappear to the eye, depending on the angle. This Satoshi is a hooded figure with a laptop, sitting cross-legged, quietly, faceless, and sometimes even invisible. The concept reflects how Bitcoin’s creator exists in fragments: emails, forum posts, code, and speculation.
https://x.com/satoshigallery/status/1849788385809813967?embedable=true
The artist translated this absence into a physical form that will accompany all types of people in different public spaces —because it’s not just one statue. The first piece was installed at Lugano, Switzerland, but they’re meant to be 21 in total. Identical pieces followed in El Salvador, Japan, and Vietnam, each located in public or semi-public spaces where people would encounter them by chance.
By 2025, the series reached
Somos Génesis
Within a crystal block lies the yellow silhouette of a man, reproduced in an infinite illusion around. Outside, the carcass has an engraved message: “Don’t trust, verify.” That’s the winning sculpture of the B·Art Prize 2025 competition organized by the NGO Bitcoin Argentina. It stood out among hundreds of proposals to create a physical representation of Satoshi Nakamoto.
https://x.com/oscarlau/status/1987586939180965942?embedable=true
Named “Somos Génesis” (We Are Genesis),
Beyond Satoshi and Bitcoin
As we can see, most crypto-related sculptures and memorials honor Bitcoin and Satoshi Nakamoto. This respect is deeply deserved, as they laid the foundational stone for everything that followed. Giving them a permanent place in our cities is a fitting tribute to that original, revolutionary promise of decentralized digital money. However, the landscape has blossomed far beyond that single genesis point. Today, a whole universe of diverse cryptocurrencies exists, each innovating in unique ways.
This spirit of evolution is visible in projects like
Through public artworks, these concepts become tangible, shared with an entire community regardless of their technical knowledge. It’s no longer just a topic for enthusiasts online, but a physical inspiration for a more open and decentralized world, rooted in shared public spaces.
Featured Vector Image by pch.vector /
