What is the ‘Man in The Bean’ conspiracy theory?

You probably know the sculpture created by British architect Anish Kapoor and titled Cloud Gate better by its more informal name, ‘The Bean’, but you may not know about the conspiracy theory circulating on social media which claims that there’s a man who has been trapped inside the Chicago artwork for more than 20 years.

A group calling themselves The Man in Bean Coalition believe Kapoor “stole a baby and put that baby inside of The Bean” when construction began back in 2004, and that Cloud Gate is actually a “one-way mirror”.

“All ‘renovations’ of The Bean have been covert operations by Anish Kapoor to supply The Man in The Bean with rations,” a statement issued on 5 August reads, with the bases of the structure supposedly containing air and food vents.

They also criticise ‘Big Bean Media’ casting doubt on the claims, and we may well be one of them, as we’d like to point out that the conspiracy theory is obviously ridiculous, baseless and without evidence.

Where did the ‘Man in the Bean’ conspiracy begin?

The coalition staged a protest at the site of the sculpture on 31 July, holding up placards with messages such as “unlock Cloud Gate” and “you wouldn’t put a baby inside a bean” (yes, a reference to that anti-piracy ad).

The coalition was seen handing out flyers containing the text: “We cannot communicate with the man inside the bean. However, when the sun hits The Bean just right, you can see a faint outline of the man.

“We demand that the man inside The Bean is freed.”

It goes on to encourage people to call Brendan Reilly, the alderman of Chicago’s 42nd ward, and “demand he take immediate action to free the man inside the bean”.

A ‘heavy uptick in calls’ to Brendan Reilly

However, there’s been an unfortunate outcome from the whole stunt, as the aforementioned alderman has seen a “heavy uptick in calls” since the coalition called on people to ring his office.

Reilly said in a statement: “I am happy to confirm that a man has not been trapped inside Cloud Gate (aka ‘the Bean’) for the past 21 years. In fact, the man was freed years ago.

“I appreciate light-hearted parody as much as the next guy. However, this online hoax has led to a heavy uptick in calls to my office.

“Unfortunately, answering the heavy volume of calls regarding this hoax is ultimately a distraction for my office from the real work we do for the 42nd ward and City of Chicago each day.”

Oh dear.

The ‘AirB&Bean’ project

Even artist Stuart Semple has joined in the fun, setting up his own website called ‘AirB&Bean’ in which individuals can book to “experience 360° views through the Bean’s one-way mirrored surface, and share a space with its longest-serving resident” – provided you’re not Kapoor, “acting on his behalf” or “Kapoor-adjacent”.

That’s a reference to Semple’s previous project (and protest) in which he started selling “the world’s pinkest pink” paint and allowed anyone but Kapoor to buy it, because the artist has the exclusive rights to use vantablack or ‘the blackest black’, and Semple believes he should “share the black”.

Unfortunately for Semple, Kapoor did end up getting his hands on the paint, sharing a picture to his Instagram account in 2016 of his middle finger coated in the pinkest pink with the caption, “up yours”.

Semple’s ‘AirB&Bean’ project offers a $10 a night ‘stay’ in the sculpture, which is actually $10 for a “limited condition art package” comprising a “signed and numbered Key to the Bean” and a pack of jelly beans.

“Your host has lived here since infancy - a unique arrangement that began during the sculpture's construction in 2004. Sustained by hidden air vents, mystery rations, and deep-dish pizza deliveries, he's now opening his ‘spare room’ to guests from the outside world,” the ‘listing’ reads.

Illinois governor JB Pritzker is ‘not authorised’ to comment

In more recent developments, JB Pritzker, the governor of Illinois, was asked by YouTube content creator and media commentator Philip DeFranco if he would “pledge to investigate if there is a man in the bean”.

Pritzker replied: “Well, I’m so glad you asked that question. First of all, I want to be clear that I am not authorised to reveal anything about the man in The Bean. I’m not suggesting there is a man in The Bean, or isn’t a man in The Bean.

“But people have asked me that all the time, and all I can say is that I don’t know if you remember that Superman arrived in the ship from another planet and had to be actually taken out of the ship.

“I guess I would suggest that you keep that in mind as you contemplate what perhaps is going on with The Bean … I’m not suggesting that it’s a ship from elsewhere, but [Cloud Gate] would be a more appropriate name for a ship.”

What is Anish Kapoor’s response to the conspiracy theory?

Kapoor is yet to comment publicly on the bizarre claim.

Indy100 has approached his studio for comment.

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