Chicago’s “Bean” Sculptor Blasts Border Patrol for Staged Photo Shoot
Anish Kapur to Trump administration: "Got to Hell" (Hat tip: Tom Latchem)
WASHINGTON — Anish Kapoor, the world-renowned sculptor behind Chicago’s “Cloud Gate” (a.k.a. “The Bean”) is speaking out after images surfaced showing federal Border Patrol agents staging a photo-op in front of his iconic work.
Early Monday morning, Border Patrol Chief Gregory Bovino led dozens of masked, armed agents to Millennium Park for a choreographed shoot with Department of Homeland Security photographers. Witnesses said the agents shouted “Little Village,” referencing a heavily Latino neighborhood frequently targeted by enforcement sweeps.
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“The Bean and the whole of Millennium Park is a site of community, for residents and the hundreds of thousands of people who visit every year,” Kapoor told The Daily Beast. “Border Patrol, and Donald Trump’s entire immigration policy, stands for the exact opposite of this. To see these people targeting migrants using it for a self-congratulatory photo-op is horrifying.”
Kapoor revealed he is consulting lawyers about potential legal remedies, citing a previous court case that successfully blocked unauthorized use of his sculpture by the NRA. “I’m in conversations about whether there’s space here to do something similar,” he said.
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Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker condemned the exhibition as “disgusting” and accused federal officers of “producing reality TV moments.” Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson told reporters, “It’s unfortunate that this is the type of provocation the president has endorsed. All of our neighbors deserve to be protected, loved, and supported.”
Kapoor praised their leadership and warned global and local leaders against remaining silent, saying current enforcement tactics risk echoing “the darkest chapters of the 20th century.” His final message for the Trump administration: “Go to hell.”
Full story by Tom Latchem at The Daily Beast.