{"id":788410,"date":"2026-10-01T09:46:21","date_gmt":"2026-10-01T09:46:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/788410\/"},"modified":"2026-10-01T09:46:21","modified_gmt":"2026-10-01T09:46:21","slug":"i-make-art-on-wads-of-chewing-gum-its-taken-me-all-over-the-world-news-uk","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/788410\/","title":{"rendered":"‘I make art on wads of chewing gum – it’s taken me all over the world’ | News UK"},"content":{"rendered":"

\t\t\"Chewing
\n\t\tYou might not know Ben Wilson by name, but if you\u2019ve ever been to London, you\u2019ve almost certainly seen his art (Picture: Luc Gauci Green for Metro)<\/p>\n

You\u2019ve probably seen his artwork on street corners, around bins, and even under your shoe.<\/p>\n

But you might not know that much about Ben Wilson, the artist better known as \u2018Chewing Gum Man\u2019<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Wilson is famous for his miniature paintings, which he has created on wads of chewing gum discarded and flattened on pavements for the past 22 years.<\/p>\n

Speaking about his work, he said: \u2018You\u2019re taking something which is spat out and discarded and then transforming it into something positive.<\/p>\n

\u2018In a consumerist society, chewing gum is something that can be created very fast, and it\u2019s very cheap \u2013 it\u2019s artificial in every sense.\u2019\u00a0<\/p>\n

Wilson\u2019s art has landed him in trouble with the law more than once.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\t\t\"Chewing
\n\t\tWilson is best known for his chewing gum art (Picture: Luc Gauci Green for Metro)<\/p>\n

\t\t\"Chewing
\n\t\tMetro attended Wilson\u2019s recent open house in north London (Picture: Luc Gauci Green for Metro)<\/p>\n

He faced one court case claiming his paintings are on public property, which he managed to win on a \u2018technicality\u2019 because the gum is on public property, rather than being public property.\u00a0<\/p>\n

He also had to fight to save hundreds of his pieces on the Millennium Bridge, which have been under threat<\/a> of removal due to renovations.\u00a0<\/p>\n

But he says it\u2019s all worth it, as his unconventional art is a great way to connect him to the people around him.<\/p>\n

Wilson has created hundreds of dedications to the people who pass by as he works, to mark births, deaths, marriages or simply to honour a request for something as simple as a painting of cheese and crackers.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\t\t\"Chewing
\n\t\tWilson says the artwork is about \u2018acknowledging people\u2019 (Picture: Luc Gauci Green for Metro)<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\tLatest London news\t\t\t<\/p>\n

To get the latest news from the capital, visit Metro’s London news hub<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\t\t\"Chewing
\n\t\tWilson keeps a daily \u2018diary\u2019 of paintings made on tiny tiles (Picture: Luc Gauci Green for Metro)<\/p>\n

\u2018It\u2019s nice to actually do a picture for a person in a truly giving way,\u2019 he said, despite the financial challenges of creating free art in a consumerist world.<\/p>\n

\u2018It\u2019s about acknowledging people; when people are alienated and disconnected, that\u2019s when you have problems.<\/p>\n

\u2018But also it\u2019s about freedom of expression, because often you find that everything\u2019s very controlled, so it\u2019s nice to do art in a more spontaneous way.\u2019\u00a0<\/p>\n

His work has taken him everywhere, from the Arctic Circle<\/a> to South Africa<\/a>.<\/p>\n

In one of his most challenging tasks, he created a painting for a doctor living outside Gaza City of an olive tree growing around ruins and the word \u2018steadfastness\u2019.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

But it\u2019s London \u2013 his home, and the place where most of his art is based \u2013 that he particularly loves.<\/p>\n

He says its residents display \u2018diversity of action, diversity of thought and diversity of people\u2019, something Wilson thinks is desperately needed today.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\t\t\"Chewing
\n\t\tWilson also makes wooden sculptures, which were on display at his house (Picture: Luc Gauci Green for Metro)<\/p>\n

Wilson opened his north London home and studio to the public last weekend, displaying an eclectic mix of his renowned chewing gum art, wooden sculptures and his \u2018diary\u2019, made up of an \u2018intuitive\u2019 painting each day on tiny tiles.<\/p>\n

Selling art at the open house will give Wilson the means to carry on makingstreet art and making more connections with people, he told Metro.<\/p>\n

Even after completing hundreds of requests, he has countless notebooks filled with more that he has not been able to get around to.\u00a0<\/p>\n

According to his girlfriend Freya Cummings, an artist in her own right, these unfinished requests \u2018haunt him\u2019.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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