Man Buried Alive With Chessboard on Top of Him & American Flag in ‘Wacky’ Performance Art on NYC Streets: ‘What Is This Trying To Say?’

Although art is a form of expression, one New York resident seemingly went too far to symbolize something known only to him. The man was buried alive on the streets with a chessboard on top of him, next to an American flag.

An interested bystander recorded the scene and shared it on Reddit. In the video, the resident is seen lying on the floor with a heap of dirt covering him. However, his hands and legs were uncovered. An arranged chessboard is spotted on top of the buried man, and at his feet is an American flag. 

Despite being under the mound of earth, the man was still alive, as he had a breathing tube. The end of a tube was seen sticking out from the mound. The recorder, surprised at the scene, asked if the buried man could also speak through the tube. 

Although no sound was heard from the mound, he gave a thumbs-up with his exposed hands. The recorder could be heard saying, “So what are you doing? You got a bucket somewhere to put some coins for this?”

Accompanying the video was a caption that read, “Modern Art in NYC is wild, I guess? I have no idea what’s going on. I lost a bet. Good luck getting the 411 on this guy.” In no time, the video made the rounds, and several users attempted to figure out what the performance meant

One Redditor wrote, “What is this trying to say? That ‘Americans are being walked over by politicians using them as pawns in a chess game?’ If that’s the meaning then, I kind of like this visualization.”

Another observer suggested a similar sentiment, writing, “To me, it says the American people are the foundation of the chessboard. And that the people who play the game have buried, suffocated, and forgotten the foundation that holds their game together.”

A third user wondered, “An American chess game where people are dying?” This other netizen analyzed the video and described it as poorly done. “This is compost or some other type of soil amendment. Seeing as it’s a wacky performing art piece, it’s probably organic compost from the nearest landscape supply store.”

A fourth observer added, “Very thought-provoking, I like it tbh!” A fifth person joked about the craft, writing, “All fun and games until a mouse goes into the tube lol.”

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Other Redditors gave interpretations of the art, but only the buried man can truly say what it means.