Bean There, Done That: Londoners Want in on the Sculpture-Pushing Action

Last weekend, several hundred gallant Chicagoans answered a viral flyer calling on them to “free the man” who is, according to internet legend, “trapped inside” Anish Kapoor’s famed public sculpture Cloud Gate (2004–2006), known as the Bean, by attempting to push the 100-tonne work seven inches to the left. Somewhat unsurprisingly, they did not succeed—however, it now seems that Londoners are keen to get in on the action. 

A public listing on the event-planning platform Partiful is inviting residents of the UK capital to help to move one of the city’s best-known landmarks, Marble Arch, 17.78cm to the left, in an apparent show of support for the would-be rescuers of the man in the Bean. The distance, of course, is the precise metric conversion of seven inches.

“We have been made aware that the top floor of the marble arch [sic] was used for incarceration. People could still be trapped inside,” the event’s description reads, adding that “gaining access” would allow organisers to “give anyone inside a gerkin [sic]”.

There is, it is important to note, no evidence that anyone is, or ever has been, trapped inside Marble Arch, which was designed by John Nash in 1827 as the state entrance to the cour d’honneur of Buckingham Palace (it was relocated to its current site next to Hyde Park in 1851).

There is also no evidence of a man ever having lived inside Kapoor’s 20-metre-long, 10-metre-high bean-shaped sculpture, which has been in place in Chicago’s Millennium Park since 2006, and yet the online rumour of his presence has continued to spread. 

The hoax first made headlines in July 2025, when a group of satirical activists calling themselves the Man in Bean Coalition began claiming via social media that a man was trapped inside the public artwork. In a viral IRL protest at the time, members of the coalition were heard chanting: “We’re loud, we’re mean, there’s a man in the Bean! We’ll scream, we’ll shout, Anish Kapoor, let him out!” 

Such was the furore that local politician Brendan Reilly told The Art Newspaper his office had seen a “heavy uptick” in calls from citizens concerned for the safety of the man in the Bean. However, he confirmed to the paper—in jest—that the man was in fact “freed years ago”.

News of the man in the Bean has slowed in recent months—no doubt thanks to the disinterest of what the coalition has termed “Big Bean Media”—but returned with last weekend’s crowds. The group was summoned by a Partiful event stating: “New findings suggest that there might be [a] latch door under the right side of the Bean. 

“If we move the bean about seven inches to the left we might be able to access that door and give the man inside the Bean resources.” 

The Chicago event was advertised online by a mysterious host known only as “gs”. The London incarnation is attributed only to “AK”.

Ocula was made aware of the UK event by a representative of Stuart Semple, the controversial artist who has, in the past, waged war on Kapoor over his exclusive claim to the world’s blackest paint. As part of what The Guardian has dubbed “the art world’s pettiest, funniest dispute”, Semple has also previously changed his name to Anish Kapoor.

In an email, the representative shared a statement from “organisers of these global happenings”, confirming that Londoners “are planning to push the Arch to send a clear message that the bloke in the Bean must be freed”. The statement added that “moving the Arch will prove to Chicago that it’s possible, and will hopefully inspire them to try again to free the man”.

However, asked if Semple was behind the UK version of this particular Kapoor-related stunt, the representative insisted that organisers wish to remain anonymous, and that Semple is merely “an innocent bystander”. They added that he also had no involvement in last weekend’s events in Chicago, as he was “at home all weekend with his dog”—an alibi they described as “iron-clad”.

In an Instagram post on Monday, the Man in Bean Coalition confirmed that it was not responsible for recent attempts to push the bean, but noted that “as a coalition of non-violent like-minded individuals, we commend all action towards freeing the man”. 

At the time of writing, neither Kapoor’s studio nor the Man in Bean Coalition had responded to Ocula’s request for comment, and so whether the latter will lend their support to Londoners’ efforts remains to be seen. The mystery of the man in the Bean continues…