Johnny Depp marked a major first after unveiling his debut sculpture at the 21st edition of the Turkish art fair, Contemporary Istanbul.
Called The Bunnyman, the two-metre white bronze work was inspired by Johnny's son, Jack, whom he shares with his ex, Vanessa Paradis. They are also parents to daughter, Lily-Rose Depp.
Described as "half-human, half-rabbit guardian carrying a 'sword of truth,'" The Bunnyman's origins lie in a sketch Jack made when he was around five years old.
The drawing reminded Johnny of a recurring dream he had experienced at a similar age, in which "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?'" Johnny said in a press release.
"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…" he added.
© Courtesy the artist and Sigg Art FoundationThe Bunnyman has appeared across Johnny's sketches, paintings, and prints, including the limited-edition series Friends & Heroes and Bunnyman Genesis.
The sculpture came about through a collaboration between the Sigg Art Foundation, Pantheon Art, and Fonderia Artistica Battaglia in Milan, and gives three-dimensional form to the recurring figure in Johnny's visual practice for the first time.
Cast at Fonderia Artistica Battaglia using the lost-wax method, the sculpture draws on a process associated with artists Johnny admires, including Alberto Giacometti and Marino Marini.
© Courtesy the artist and Sigg Art FoundationUsing sand in the casting process echoes the moving grains he recalls within the figure's body in his dream. The sculpture also extends a two-metre canvas made with layers of Rizla papers against a bold red ground, translating an image developed through painting and collage into permanent sculptural form.
Pierre Sigg, Founder of the Sigg Art Foundation, said: "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."
© Courtesy the artist and Sigg Art FoundationHe added: "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."
The Bunnyman is on view outdoors at Tersane Istanbul, the historic Ottoman shipyard on the Golden Horn, as one of the fair's special projects, until September 27, 2026.
The Istanbul presentation coincides with A Bunch of Stuff at the Modern Art Museum Shanghai, which opened on August 15, 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.
