The Bitcoin community has a new icon. “Bitcoinius Maximus” was unveiled last week during the Bitcoin Alpha “unconference” in Santa Monica, California. Entrepreneurs revealed this impressive Bitcoinius Maximus Bitcoin statue to symbolize the digital asset’s spirit. The artwork, a suspended white shark, was named “The Apex Predator of Money.” Ben Sigman, one of the organizers, was the primary source for the presentation.
The sculpture shined under orange lights during the two-day event. It served as a backdrop for numerous private discussions. The statue itself measures nine by four feet, including its glass case. Although a great white shark can exceed 5,000 pounds, “Bitcoinius” weighs around 500 pounds. The conception and exhibition of the piece were completed in less than a handful of months. Aesthetically, the work is a clear homage to “The Physical Impossibility of Death in the Mind of Someone Living,” the famous Damien Hirst piece that uses a real tiger shark.
The choice of the shark is not accidental. Sigman explained the deep parallels. Sharks are one of the oldest species on Earth. Their multi-million-year track record reflects how Bitcoin could outlast traditional assets like cash and gold. Furthermore, certain sharks must swim constantly to breathe. This characteristic mirrors Bitcoin’s 24/7 uptime. Sigman added that they are “cold, calculated, patient predators,” qualities many attribute to the Bitcoin economy.
Will the shark replace the bull and the honey badger?
The Bitcoinius Maximus Bitcoin statue is not the first attempt to give Bitcoin a spirit animal. In 2013, entrepreneur Roger Ver popularized the honey badger as a symbol of Bitcoin’s resilience. More recently, in 2022, a conference in Miami unveiled a 3,000-pound bull statue. That bull, with a cyberpunk aesthetic and laser eyes, symbolized the city’s growing financial power. Sigman and his colleague Fred Krueger clarified that they are proposing the shark, not officially declaring it. “That’s not how Bitcoin works,” Sigman explained.
The predator statue will not be limited to private events. Sigman plans to make “Bitcoinius” the centerpiece of a future pop-up installation. The project will be called “Living with Bitcoin.” The team hopes to install it on Santa Monica’s Third Street Promenade. Sigman concluded that the shark is more fitting than a bull, stating that “Crypto is so much bigger than Wall Street… It’s really an ocean.”
