Johnny Depp unveils Bunnyman sculpture at Istanbul exhibition

Johnny Depp unveils large-scale sculpture of his own making

Johnny Depp is known worldwide primarily as an actor, yet art has long been a part of his personal life. He has been creating paintings for over three decades, although the wider public only learned about this much later.

The actor has now decided to present another facet of his creativity — sculpture. At the Contemporary Istanbul art fair in Istanbul, he unveiled for the first time a two-metre figure made of white bronze titled Bunnyman, or "Bunny Man".

The sculpture was displayed outdoors, on the grounds of a historic Ottoman shipyard near the Golden Horn. The character looks unusual: it is a combination of human and rabbit figures, complemented by a so-called "sword of truth".

The Bunnyman image has a personal history for Depp. The character had appeared in his drawings and prints, but the impetus for its creation did not come from the actor's own idea. According to Depp, his son Jack drew an unusual character in his childhood. The child's drawing unexpectedly reminded the actor of a recurring dream he had experienced in his own childhood.

Later, this image went beyond paper. To create the large-scale bronze version, Depp turned to a renowned Milanese foundry with years of experience working with sculpture and works by famous artists.

The Istanbul presentation is taking place simultaneously with a major exhibition of Depp's works in Shanghai. Over two hundred of his pieces are on display there. Bunnyman is also included in the exhibition, but presented in a different format — the sculpture was installed in a darkened room, using artificial lighting that highlights the details and texture of the bronze.

Thus, a personal image that emerged from a child's drawing and the actor's own memories has transformed into a large-scale sculpture over two metres high. And now Bunnyman is being presented simultaneously on international art platforms in Istanbul and Shanghai.

For Depp, this is another step in a creative journey that has long gone beyond cinema.