Valentina Picozzi’s “disappearing” Satoshi Nakamoto statue has found its sixth location at the New York Stock Exchange, a stark contrast to a few years ago when cryptocurrency was regarded as taboo on Wall Street.
The NYSE, a hub of traditional finance, announced the statue’s presence as a symbol of “shared ground between emerging systems and established institutions” in an X post on Wednesday said.
The statue was placed by Bitcoin company Twenty One Capital, which recently launched for trading; however, the design comes from artist Valentina Picozzi, who expressed on X, via her Satoshigallery handle, that having her artwork in such a prominent spot is “Mind-blowing.”
“This is such an achievement; even in our wildest dreams, we couldn’t have imagined positioning the statue of Satoshi Nakamoto here! The 6th/21 statues of Satoshi Nakamoto have found their home at the NYSE,” she added.
This installation coincides with the anniversary of the Bitcoin mailing list, which Nakamoto initiated on Dec. 10, 2008.
Bitcoin’s evolution from concept to accepted asset
On Jan. 3, 2009, Satoshi Nakamoto mined the genesis block, creating the first 50 Bitcoin and laying the groundwork for the current crypto landscape.
More than a year later, on May 22, 2010, programmer Laszlo Hanyecz completed the first known transaction using Bitcoin, spending 10,000 Bitcoin for two Papa John’s pizzas.
Through the years, Bitcoin and cryptocurrencies encountered numerous challenges, with institutions and banks often dismissing them, while governments allegedly tried to suppress their growth through initiatives like Operation Chokepoint 2.0.
However, a shift has occurred, as even skeptics like BlackRock CEO Larry Fink have warmed to the idea, leading institutions and Wall Street to eagerly invest through methods such as exchange-traded funds and directly holding Bitcoin in their reserves.
Collectively, public and private enterprises, nations, and ETFs now hold over 3.7 million Bitcoin, as reported by Bitbo, valued at over $336 billion.
More Satoshi statues on the way
Picozzi has five additional Nakamoto statues placed globally, situated in Switzerland, El Salvador, Japan, Vietnam, and Miami, Florida.
Related: Disappearing Satoshi statue in Lugano took 21 months to create, says artist
Picozzi mentioned she aims to place 21 statues worldwide, potentially referencing the theorized 21 million Bitcoin maximum supply.
In previous conversations with Cointelegraph, she remarked that Nakamoto is one of the most captivating figures of our time, and the statues serve as a tribute to the mind behind Bitcoin.
“The statue aims to evoke a sense of disappearance, highlighting that the inventor exists amidst the intricacies — as of today, Satoshi persists in the lines of the Bitcoin code, enabling the emergence of the first decentralized payment system,” she explained.
“It embodies a stereotypical hacker pose, seated with a laptop on his lap, honoring all developers and programmers worldwide who contributed to building the Bitcoin ecosystem, championing transparency and freedom.”
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