Johnny Depp
The Bunnyman Genesis | 2023
6 pieces
After his hugely successful Friends & Heroes and Five releases of portraits, Johnny Depp has continued to delve deeper into the self, and his subconscious, in his latest series of limited edition works, The Bunnyman Genesis.
Infused with a celestial undertone, this fantastical series of mixed media screen prints overlaid with gold detail is rooted in childhood memories. Some years ago, Depp saw a sketch of a figure by his son, who’d been unsettled by a nightmare in which he’d appeared. The figure reminded the artist that, decades before, he’d also experienced recurring dreams involving this character. “That dream kept coming to me. I had it a lot and that’s sort of what The Bunnyman became, that figure in the dream”.
Father and son were connected by this shared night-time vision, and Depp saw it as more comforting than haunting.
“There he was a benevolent creature, like he was there to warn me in my dream.”
Like all great urban legends or dark fairytales, the myth of The Bunnyman evolved over time and through countless retellings, to take on supernatural elements, existing at a doorway between reality and imagination. Depp perceives him as a powerful guardian and symbol of strength. “The Bunnyman is something that I feel very close to”.
You can now visualise the artwork in your space by using the AR feature available in each individual product. Simply click on your favourite piece and select “View in Room”.
Symbolic Meaning of the Silhouetted Figure
The Bunnyman stands resolute, adopting the same pose within each of the artist’s conjured dreamscapes. As if sharing his protagonist’s origin story, Depp gives viewers glimpses of a character who existed in his dreams before arriving in his son’s. Not only an inseparable friend and powerful self-representation of Depp, The Bunnyman is also an icon of his imagination.
We know Depp to be a reflective individual finding symbolism in many areas of his life; now The Bunnyman can be seen as an insight into the artist behind the work who emerges as Depp’s own alter-ego across this series. In fact, Depp always carries his guardian with him, wearing a pendant of the character around his neck, and translating this to his art, where The Bunnyman has become his personal stamp of authenticity. Rather than existing simply as a static figure, however, the series shows the character evolving, which is deliberate on Depp’s part.
Like Depp’s earlier Friends and Heroes, The Bunnyman carries layers of meaning; a figure of courage, as well as one of complexity, whom Depp sees as “powerfully standing with a sword of truth, guarding the heart, and delivering through all adversity.”
Image credit: Elliot Nyman
Featured Art (L-R): 'Flowers', 'Origins', 'Cosmic' and 'Multiverse' by Johnny Depp. All artworks are silkscreens and archival pigment with gold leaf detail hand-signed by the artist.
Unveiling the Artistry Behind The Bunnyman Genesis
In The Bunnyman Genesis, we see an intriguing, silhouetted figure standing before four different, yet parallel, realms: ‘Origins’, ‘Cosmic’, ‘Flowers’ and ‘Multiverse’. Layering each composition with varying textures, contrasting blocks of colour and mark-making, Johnny Depp has developed a body of work which demonstrates his expressive creativity.
In his new series, Depp embraces the surreal by infusing an automatic quality into his mark-making, skilfully working over textured backgrounds, some of which are composed of Rizla papers, others thick layers of spray paint. Depp adeptly incorporates fragments from his waking life into these layers of artistry. From these original works, The Bunnyman Genesis collection of limited-edition pieces was created. Having experimented with The Bunnyman image for years, Depp has now fully envisioned him in this bold new series.
Johnny Depp
An imaginative storyteller, Johnny Depp has long found freedom through art. In his role as a portrait painter, we have seen his success in capturing the psychology of his sitters, drawing out their essence and complex identities beyond heroic appearances.
With his debut collection Friends & Heroes (2022), Depp focused on people he has known well or who have inspired him as a person. Employing the defined outlines and saturated palette of Pop Art and showcasing his talent for expressive mark-making, Depp honoured the likes of Heath Ledger, Bob Marley and River Phoenix, all appearing as instantly recognisable cultural icons.
In his portrait of Bob Dylan, Depp portrayed his great friend with a bowed head, a contemplative and somewhat vulnerable pose, perhaps inviting his viewers to question the mask of celebrity. Depp adopted the same introspective approach for his own self-portrait, "Five" (2023) in which he stares directly at the viewer. With intricate white detail in the eyes, this self-portrait simultaneously captures his emotional exhaustion in a single image and highlights his healing through creativity.
Now, with The Bunnyman Genesis, Johnny Depp reveals even more of himself and his inner life.
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