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Chicago's Iconic 'Bean' Sculpture Reopens to Tourists

Visitors take photos of the "Cloud Gate" sculpture, also known as the "bean," at Millennium Park, Sunday, June 23, 2024. (Anthony Vazquez/Chicago Sun-Times via AP)
Visitors take photos of the "Cloud Gate" sculpture, also known as the "bean," at Millennium Park, Sunday, June 23, 2024. (Anthony Vazquez/Chicago Sun-Times via AP)
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Chicago's Iconic 'Bean' Sculpture Reopens to Tourists

Visitors take photos of the "Cloud Gate" sculpture, also known as the "bean," at Millennium Park, Sunday, June 23, 2024. (Anthony Vazquez/Chicago Sun-Times via AP)
Visitors take photos of the "Cloud Gate" sculpture, also known as the "bean," at Millennium Park, Sunday, June 23, 2024. (Anthony Vazquez/Chicago Sun-Times via AP)

One of Chicago's most popular tourist attractions known as “The Bean” reopened to the public Sunday after nearly a year of renovations and construction.
Construction started in August last year, and fencing around the iconic sculpture limited closeup access to visitors. The work on the plaza surrounding the sculpture included new stairs, accessible ramps and a waterproofing system, according to the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events.
The bean-shaped sculpture by artist Anish Kapoor is formally known as “Cloud Gate” and weighs 110 tons (99.8 metric tons).
It’s a busy tourist hub near Michigan Avenue, particularly for selfies with its reflective surface inspired by liquid mercury. Views of skyscrapers and crowds are reflected on the Millenium Park sculpture.
“Visitors can once again have full access to Chicago’s iconic Cloud Gate by Anish Kapoor,” city officials said in a Sunday statement. “Come back and get your #selfie!”

One of Chicago's most popular tourist attractions known as “The Bean” reopened to the public Sunday after nearly a year of renovations and construction.
Construction started in August last year, and fencing around the iconic sculpture limited closeup access to visitors. The work on the plaza surrounding the sculpture included new stairs, accessible ramps and a waterproofing system, according to the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events.
The bean-shaped sculpture by artist Anish Kapoor is formally known as “Cloud Gate” and weighs 110 tons (99.8 metric tons).
It’s a busy tourist hub near Michigan Avenue, particularly for selfies with its reflective surface inspired by liquid mercury. Views of skyscrapers and crowds are reflected on the Millenium Park sculpture.
“Visitors can once again have full access to Chicago’s iconic Cloud Gate by Anish Kapoor,” city officials said in a Sunday statement. “Come back and get your #selfie!”

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Saudi Museums Commission Showcases Chinese Contemporary Art for 1st Time in Saudi Arabia

The exhibition draws fascinating parallels between Arab and Chinese traditions. SPA
The exhibition draws fascinating parallels between Arab and Chinese traditions. SPA
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Saudi Museums Commission Showcases Chinese Contemporary Art for 1st Time in Saudi Arabia

The exhibition draws fascinating parallels between Arab and Chinese traditions. SPA
The exhibition draws fascinating parallels between Arab and Chinese traditions. SPA

The Museums Commission inaugurated on Thursday the exhibition "The Writings of Today Are a Promise for Tomorrow" at the Saudi Arabia Museum of Contemporary Art at Jax, introducing contemporary artists of Chinese origin to Saudi Arabia for the first time.
Bringing together over 30 artists of different generations and cultural backgrounds, the exhibition showcases a collection of over 50 art pieces, offering diverse and nuanced perspectives on the profound transformation of our contemporary society.
The exhibition draws fascinating parallels between Arab and Chinese traditions by exploring two central elements they have in common: calligraphy and the garden. The exhibition highlights the profound significance of calligraphy as a cultural and societal practice in both Arabic and Chinese cultures, in which the written word and script are revered not only as a form of communication but also as a spiritual endeavor.
The balance between discipline and naturalness, a requirement for masterful calligraphy, links the field of writing with the domain of the garden. By definition, the garden is nature in an arranged order, and it is considered in both cultures a representation of creation, designed for the appreciation of beauty and spirituality, and for contemplation and conviviality.
"The Writings of Today Are a Promise for Tomorrow" exhibition also reflects an aspiration towards future possibilities and ongoing dialogue, addressing the concepts of energy flow and synergy. Writing here is understood in a larger sense as the trace of a meaningful act of participation and communication.
The exhibition is designed as a stroll through a series of thematic stages, exploring the interplay between presence and absence, action and contemplation, memory and imagination
Visitors will have the opportunity to explore pieces from two notable Paris-based collections of contemporary Chinese art, the Donnersberg Collection and the dslcollection, as well as direct contributions from artists and site-specific works produced in Saudi Arabia for the exhibition. They will also see the works of a French-Algerian artist Adel Abdessemed and Taiwanese artist Michael Lin, showing for the first time in Saudi Arabia.
The exhibition showcases how the art of today continues to evolve, reflecting and reshaping the flow of cultural energy, connecting past and future, and embodying the promise of tomorrow.
The exhibition will run until January 18, 2025.