The Bean in Chicago was designed by a man named Anish Kapoor. It’s an eyesore of modern art, and widely regarded as a waste of money, celebrating a terrible artist. But, there are now a few rumors surrounding The Bean, suggesting that it may have a man living inside it, which would at least make it useful.
There has been some controversy surrounding Anish Kapoor in the past. The ‘artists’ purchased the rights to the ‘blackest black’, meaning only he would be allowed to use it. The idea of one artist owning a color is against the freedom of art. As a result, he garnered some hate.
This may be where the disdain for Anish Kapoor stemmed from. Now, a group of people are claiming that, when he built the enormous bean structure in Chicago, he put a baby in there. The baby is now grown and has been living in The Bean ever since.
Man In The Bean
The man inside The Bean theory began at this year’s Lollapalooza festival. A group of people began handing out flyers, demanding his release. Since then, the idea has picked up traction, with more than 25k people joining their Instagram page.
“You may not know it. The city of Chicago keeps a secret from you. You move about your days unaware… THERE IS A MAN INSIDE THE BEAN,” their literature reads. “When construction began on the Bean in 2004, Anish Kapoor, the artist and chief architect behind The Bean (Cloud Gate), STOLE A BABY and put that baby inside of The Bean.”
They allege that “THE MAN has been held captive there ever since – LIVING IN COMPLETE ISOLATION. Our cohort of believers theorize that Kapoor built the Bean to be a one-way mirror. So that when we look at the Bean, we see our reflection… BUT THE MAN INSIDE THE BEAN LOOKS OUT TO SEE US ALL. IS THAT FAIR?”
It’s a ludicrous idea, really. But, if it means they cut open The Bean to free the trapped man, I’m all for it. The local official has released a statement since then. “I am happy to confirm that a man has not been trapped inside Cloud Gate (a.k.a ‘the Bean’) for the past 21 years,” official Whiley Riley said. “In fact, the man was freed years ago.”