Street artist Ben Wilson is unique. While his medium is acrylic his canvas is chewing gum. He’s become known as The Chewing Gum Man for the miniature gum paintings that you can find dotted around the globe.
Ben Wilson, aka The Chewing Gum Man, is an artist famous for his beautiful miniature paintings on chewing gum. His work sits outside the gallery space and in the public domain, it’s there for everyone. Ben’s chewing gum picture trail, that runs from St. Paul’s, across the Millennium Bridge and into the Tate Modern, has particularly piqued the interests of London’s many visitors – and it’s this which we want to celebrate with the book: Ben Wilson – The Millennium Bridge Gum Trail.
“Chewing gum art evolves out of the environment rather than imposing the image on the environment,” says Ben. “It’s determined by the shape, or the human context – any people I encounter when I’m working.” They stop to observe, curious as to why he is lying on the ground painting. Some ask questions, “what are you doing?”, “why are you doing that?”. Ben is happy to chat and explain what and why. One of those reasons is to give a little space back to people in an environment dominated by advertising and other messaging that we have no say over. “On the bridge, things are happening on a different scale” he says. “There isn’t the fractiousness of traffic and noise. It’s an area where people from all around the world meet – the chewing gum paintings become a celebration of everyday life and people – their nationalities, religions and their belief systems.”
Often people come around to telling Ben their own story and ask him if he’ll paint a picture for them. They’re all carrying thoughts, burdens, mysteries, hopes – which Ben transforms to leave a long-lasting mark of remembrance or celebration on a meticulously worked chewing gum splat. And why chewing gum? Ben wants to turn a thoughtless action, something that is casually spat out and trodden into the ground, into a thoughtful one.
Ben’s work sits in the public domain like few other artists; if you were to visit his Millennium Bridge gallery it might take more than a day to take in the 600+ of his paintings – the accident of shape, environment and the thoughts of hundreds of passers-by, brought together and translated into miniature art works.
Chewing Gum art by Ben Wilson 
Abstract art on the Millenium Bridge by Ben Wilson 
Pop Art Chewing Gum by Ben Wilson
Ben is an activist, beyond the legalities governing painting within a public space (the chewing gums remain under the ownership of the people who spat them out). He’s also been discretely placing his art works within the Tate Modern. Gallery spaces worldwide define what is, and isn’t, accepted and recognised as art – what belongs and what doesn’t. Ben believes his work has just as much a right to be in these curated spaces, as anywhere else. “Chewing gum art celebrates diversity of thought and diversity of action. Hopefully through my work I can promote more direct action on a grass roots level. More and more people feel out of control and I’m saying we can find creative solutions to make things happen in different ways.”
This was a guest post for Inspiring City by David Reeve. A kickstarter campaign has been launched to raise money for ‘Ben Wilson – The Millennium Bridge Trail’ a new book on his unique work. You can read a previous interview withe Ben on Inspiring City here.
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