In the historic building of the New York Stock Exchange, where global finance rules have been dictated for more than a century, a new, unexpectedly modest but symbolically loud neighbor has appeared — a statue of Satoshi Nakamoto. Yes, the very mysterious creator of bitcoin, the person (or group of people) who turned the world of money upside down and made bankers nervously adjust their ties.
The installation was created by Italian artist Valentina Picozzi — and this is already the sixth of 21 statues she plans to install around the world as part of her large-scale art project. According to Picozzi, the moment felt almost surreal: “It is such an achievement — even in our boldest dreams we did not think that a statue of Satoshi would appear in this place! The sixth of 21 statues has found a home at the NYSE.”
The project was supported by Twenty One Capital, which organized the installation. A twist of fate: trading of its shares began on December 9 — and on the very first day the quotes dropped almost 20 percent. Apparently, the market decided to test them for durability as strictly as it once tested bitcoin itself.
Representatives of the New York Stock Exchange called the appearance of the statue “a common ground between emerging systems and established institutions.” Diplomatic, elegant, and very Wall Street-like: they seem to have acknowledged a new era without offending the old walls.
It is notable that the event coincided with an important date — the anniversary of the bitcoin mailing list that marked the beginning of the cryptocurrency’s journey. It was on December 10, 2008 that Nakamoto launched the mailing list, outlining the philosophy and technical foundation of the future digital economy.
21 statues: an artistic manifesto of the bitcoin era
Picozzi is the creator of the Satoshigallery project launched in 2020. At its core lies her own concept: “Images create culture, culture forms values, and values define the future.”
If statues are usually erected after history has already happened, Picozzi does the opposite — she makes history visible at the moment of its birth. Through visual imagery she seeks to explain the philosophy of bitcoin: decentralization, financial freedom, economic independence, and the idea that money should belong to the people, not to bureaucracy.
Before New York, Satoshi statues had already appeared in five countries:
- Switzerland,
- El Salvador,
- Japan,
- Vietnam,
- and the USA (in Miami).
If the project is fully completed, the world will receive 21 symbolic points dedicated to the 21 million bitcoins — the limit that forever restricts the cryptocurrency’s issuance.
Why this event matters
The appearance of this statue at the very center of traditional finance is not just an artistic gesture. It is a marker of an era in which the crypto industry stops being a “challenge” and begins turning into the new norm.
Just yesterday bitcoin was called “a toy for enthusiasts,” “a bubble,” or “a temporary fad.” Today the figure of its creator stands in a building where the largest companies in the world are traded.
A metamorphosis worthy of an artist’s brush — or at least a loud headline in crypto history.
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