Bad Bunny Lawn Chairs Are Taking Over the Chicago Art World

CHICAGO, IL — In a gallery at the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, the rules of "don't touch the art" have been temporarily suspended. Staged to resemble a vibrant karaoke bar, the exhibition “Dancing the Revolution: From Dancehall to Reggaetón” features three white plastic chairs upholstered with the face of global superstar Bad Bunny.

Known as the "BB Chairs," these pieces are the work of artist Edra Soto. By transforming everyday objects from her childhood in Puerto Rico into high art, Soto creates spaces that evoke the domestic life and spiritual devotion of the island.

The Meaning Behind the Plastic

For Soto, the white plastic lawn chair is a ubiquitous symbol of home and belonging in Puerto Rico. They are found on porches and streets across the island, representing a specific type of communal gathering.

The chairs gained even more cultural weight following the release of Bad Bunny’s Grammy-winning 2025 album, "DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS," which featured two empty white lawn chairs on its cover. Soto had been developing the series a year before the album debuted, making the timing a "hallucinatory" coincidence that aligned her work with the singer's own visual iconography.

A Connection to the Home

The chairs are part of a broader exploration of Puerto Rican identity. Soto’s work often features:

• Box Fans: Sculptures shaped like Christian crosses that mimic the fans used to keep families cool.

• Ironwork Scupltures: Interpretations of the colorful fences that line Puerto Rican streets.

• Keyholes: Small viewports in her art that reveal quiet photos of houses on the island.

Soto intentionally uses "cheap" bootleg fabrics for the chairs to maintain an aesthetic that feels authentic to the home rather than high-end furniture. "The furniture that I grew up with was wicker and plastic," Soto explained. "I asked myself what my chair would look like if I was making a chair."

Limited Edition Art You Can Sit On

Because of the specific nature of the fabric—which Soto purchased online and has since been unable to find again—the set of 15 chairs has become an unintentional limited edition. At the MCA Chicago, the chairs have been upholstered in extra plastic to keep them safe for visitors who want to take a seat during the museum's karaoke nights.

The exhibition underscores the political power of Caribbean music, specifically highlighting the Summer of 2019 protests where Bad Bunny became a central figure in the movement that led to the resignation of Puerto Rico's governor. Through Soto's chairs, the singer's face becomes a literal place of rest for fans navigating the history of the revolution.

Explore NBCPalmSprings.com, where we are connecting the valley.