Hundreds of people gathered in Millennium Park in Chicago on Sunday to take part in the 'push the bean' event, an internet-driven attempt to move the city's famous Bean sculpture seven inches to the left. The group's stated goal was to free a man rumoured to be trapped underneath the artwork, known officially as Cloud Gate.
The rumour claimed that moving the sculpture would reveal a trap door, allowing the man to escape. Cloud Gate, designed by Anish Kapoor, was constructed between 2004 and 2006 and is made from 168 stainless steel plates, weighing 110 short tons.
Origin of the Conspiracy
The origin of the conspiracy is unclear, but it gained enough attention last year to spark a protest in front of the statue during Lollapalooza. Protestors claimed that the 'man in the bean' was stolen as a baby and placed inside the statue when it was built, and that 'big bean' was lying to the public. The story has been dismissed as a hoax, satire, or a strange piece of performance art with an unknown motive.
A YouTube mockumentary titled Man in the Bean, released in 2025 by filmmakers Nathan Graber-Lipperman and Cris Campos, renewed interest in the conspiracy. Around the same time, Illinois Governor JB Pritzker told a reporter he was 'not authorised to reveal anything about the man in the bean', adding, 'I'm not suggesting there is a man in the bean or isn't a man in the bean, but…'
Officials Respond
City council member Brendan Reilly was forced to 'confirm' that nobody was trapped inside after receiving a flood of phone calls asking him to free the man. '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,' he wrote in a statement. He added that he appreciates a 'lighthearted parody as much as the next guy,' but the calls were distracting from 'the real work we do for the 42nd Ward and City of Chicago.'
British artist Stuart Semple, who has previously clashed with Kapoor over Vantablack and the Pinkest Pink, also joined in. He told Metro: 'I've always been incredibly passionate about freeing the Man in the Bean. He's been in there for too long, and it's only right that he is liberated. I was touched to see how many people from Chicago turned out to support the "happening".'
Semple added: 'I remind the world that Anish Kapoor still hasn't commented on the poor man in there, and when it comes to ownership of the blackest black colour, he's still very much at large.'
No Movement
This is not the first time Semple has poked fun at the situation. On Facebook last year, he posted a mock-up of an Airbnb page, writing: 'Anish Kapoor is banned from staying in the bean with the man who lives in it! Book your stay at AirBandBean.com.' Kapoor has not commented on the conspiracy or responded to the protests or attempts to move his sculpture.
Unsurprisingly, those attending the big bean push on Sunday were unable to move the statue. Metro has reached out to Kapoor for comment.
