Gum art is within spitting distance!
Work by ‘Chewing Gum Man’ goes on display at exhibition
Friday, 2nd May — By Caitlin Maskell
‘Chewing Gum Man’ Ben Wilson, whose work is currently on show at an exhibition in Gray’s Inn Road
YOU may have seen him lying horizontal, eyeliner to the pavement working on a colourful, miniature masterpiece on the streets we pound every day.
Ben Wilson, better known as the Chewing Gum Man – the artist who has been painting art on discarded chewing gum for more than 20 years – is displaying his work at an exhibition in Gray’s Inn Road.
Mr Wilson said: “The whole idea when I started was transforming rubbish into art, taking a thoughtless action and making it into something positive. By painting on chewing gum it’s technically private property so that means you can do the art without it technically being criminal damage because it’s owned by the person who spat it out.
An example of Ben Wilson’s work
“Local authorities can remove the gum but they can’t stop you from painting on it because I’m not defacing public property. It’s just trying to think outside the box and find a creative solution to a problem. It is a full force form of quiet rebellion. It’s believing in direct action but trying to do it in a sensitive way.”
Mr Wilson’s first chewing gum work was in 2003 – and the artist has since painted chewing gum trails all over Camden and London including on the Millennium Bridge – many of which were removed two years ago as part of engineering work.
He said: “It’s taking the very thing which is a result of consumerism and then changing it around. I’m a great believer in the Arts & Crafts Movement, that you can do something in a caring way and take something that is literally spat out of someone’s mouth that people may find disgusting and turn it into something positive.
“A lot of my work is to do with people and a lot of it is dedicated to people. Some people have not been in favour of my work as they don’t understand the nature of the work and what the pictures actually show. What I do in the street is a form of social commentary and the pictures connect to people in the environment that I encounter – they are love messages.”
The exhibition, Incahoots, is showcasing the work of Mr Wilson and eight other artists. It runs from April 17 to May 4 at the XYZ Gallery at 5 Gray’s Inn Road, WC1.
