In this unique sculptural work, Spanish artist Joan Priego transforms his own likeness into an anthropomorphic piggy bank figure, using the familiar visual language of the ceramic “money box” or piggy bank to construct an ironic and unsettling self portrait. Hand carved and polychromed in wood, the sculpture combines humor, vulnerability and institutional critique within a compact figurative object.

Rather than functioning simply as a caricature, the work operates as a reflection on the artist’s position within contemporary systems of value and cultural production. The insertion slot placed on the figure’s back allows the collector to physically introduce coins into the sculpture, reinforcing the piece’s conceptual structure. In this sense, the self portrait becomes both container and commodity, simultaneously subject and object within the economic mechanisms of the art world.

Joan Priego’s practice frequently explores identity, fragmentation and material memory through direct carving and an intentionally raw sculptural language. Predominantly working with reclaimed wood, the artist preserves visible marks, textures and irregularities that reinforce the physical and psychological presence of the piece. Here, the rounded body of the piggy bank contrasts with the expressive human face, creating a hybrid figure suspended between satire, tenderness and existential tension.

The sculpture’s tactile surface, earthy polychromy and folk-art resonance further emphasize its handmade character while connecting the work to broader conversations surrounding labor, authorship, consumption and symbolic value in contemporary art.

This work is a unique original sculpture created in 2011 and has remained in the artist’s collection since its completion. It is therefore considered a new work, although its intentionally expressionistic technique embraces irregularity, visible assembly marks and traces of glue as part of its material and expressive language. The sculpture functions as an actual piggy bank and still contains several coins left by visitors during exhibitions in different European countries where the work has been presented since its creation.

Unique piece. Hand carved and polychromed wood sculpture. Spain, 2011.