The mystery surrounding the vanishing visage of Satoshi Nakamoto, Bitcoin’s enigmatic architect, has been solved. The golden effigy, famously erected by art collective Satoshigallery, resurfaced after its weekend abduction, bringing relief to crypto enthusiasts worldwide.
A watery grave couldn’t silence her. After vanishing from its pedestal in Lugano’s beloved Parco Ciani, a statue met a chilly fate in Lake Lugano’s depths. But the story doesn’t end there. Lugano’s municipal workers, diving into action, rescued the submerged sculpture, a victim of unknown vandals who dared to silence art in the heart of Switzerland.
City of Lugano municipal workers recover the iconic Satoshi Nakamoto statue. Source: Satoshigallery
The shattered statue lay strewn across the park, a jigsaw of desecration. Not a robbery gone wrong, but a deliberate act of malice. Only two meager welds, holding the bronze figure by its feet, had failed to protect it from destruction. The vandal had known exactly where to strike.
A digital bounty of 0.1 BTC a king’s ransom of over $11,000 hangs in the balance. Satoshigallery has issued the reward, a siren song luring treasure hunters towards the vanished statue. Cointelegraph’s attempts to pierce the art collective’s silence have, so far, met with only echoes. The mystery deepens.
The statue was discovered in pieces in and on the riverbank of Lake Lugano. Source: Gritto
In October 2024, Valentina Picozzi, the Italian artist and ardent Bitcoin proponent, revealed a masterpiece poised to become the Bitcoin community’s emblem. For 21 painstaking months, Picozzi poured her vision into reality, birthing a statue that instantly resonated as an icon.
Related: Bitcoin creator Satoshi Nakamoto is the world’s 11th richest person
Bitcoin community reacts to vandalism against iconic symbol
A wave of outrage and unwavering resolve swept through the Bitcoin community after the statue – a now-iconic symbol of the movement and its enigmatic creator – was defaced and violated.
“Gabor Gurbacs, the driving force behind Pointsville, a blockchain loyalty innovator, didn’t mince words on X: “This act is beyond the pale. I trust justice will be swift and sure.”
A portion of the statue thrown into the waters of the lake. Source: Gritto
Could tipsy revelers fueled by Swiss National Day festivities be behind the Bitcoin vandalism? That’s the theory floated by pseudonymous Bitcoin advocate Gritto, who suggests celebratory drinks may have loosened more than just tongues on the anniversary of Switzerland’s founding charter.
Tether CEO Paolo Ardoino reacted to the recovery of the iconic statue with a simple heart emoji on social media.
“They can snatch our symbol, melt it down to slag,” Satoshigallery declared, their voice echoing with defiance, “but they’ll never touch what burns within us, the soul of this movement.” The art collective reaffirmed their vow: twenty-one monuments, scattered across the planet, each a beacon of their unwavering spirit.
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