Ben Wilson Chewing Gum Man

The Pilgrm walls have been treated to a brand-new look with our latest exhibition from London-based artist Ben Wilson - aka chewing gum man.

Ben is best known for his ‘gumpics’, tiny paintings created in public on discarded chewing gum pieces. These can be found all over London and beyond.
A huge collection of Ben’s work can now be seen at The Pilgrm, featuring wood sculptures, oil pastels, a variety of acrylics, and a selection of ‘gumpics’ on bricks.

We caught up with Ben over a coffee:

When and how did your love for art begin? 
From early childhood! My father was an artist and ceramicist so I was creating art from the very beginning. I worked with ceramics from about 3 years old and was always to encouraged to paint. My father came from a naval background, but gave it all up to do art, and my  mother was an illustrator who met Salvador Dali in the 50s, so creativity really runs in the family.

Where and how did you learn to paint? 
When I went to school didn’t fit into the system, but I was very lucky that I had an art teacher who was really behind me and helped me find my way.  Everything seemed rather boring and prescribed without the art. And then when I was 17, I had this realisation that one didn’t have to conform to norms. That’s when I started to build constructions and experiment with pushing boundaries a bit more. I then studied at Middlesex university, where I developed a lot creatively and became much more explorative. 

What drew you to painting on chewing gum?
I try to move away from restrictions around me, and it was a technicality – technically it’s not criminal damage if you’re painting on gum! The gum isn’t owned by anyone. 
There have been plenty of times when I’ve been incarcerated for doing this, but the person causing the damage is the person who spat out the gum so I can’t really get into trouble! Often art in galleries feels disconnected and self-important, and I want to create art which engages people and feels accessible. 
Its empowering for me, and I feel very conscious that every small decision counts - if each person takes responsibility for their small actions, you might not have damage created in the first place. Also it’s fun, taking a thoughtless action and turning it into something positive. I have had lots of feedback over the years and know from this that the tiny paintings in these unusual places can be very uplifting at much needed times. 

Have you ever come up against any issues whilst creating your public pieces? 
Generally people are really enthusiastic. I have had some problems with the police, but also have had some police show great interest in my work and I’ve even ended up creating pieces for them. I was arrested Trafalgar Square doing a chewing gum picture, ironically at an art event celebrating peaceful political protest which I was invited to. The local authority would not give permission for me to create art there, but I did it anyway. I did go through a phase of painting and defacing billboards because I didn’t like how much monopoly advertising had over our space and minds, but this obviously didn’t always go down too well…

Where is the most unusual place you have created art?
In terms of location would have to be beyond the arctic circle, but aside from that I’ve created art on a person’s leg, on someone’s mobile phone case, on trainers, garden pathways, and I even had a show in a sauna once. 

Does anyone ever try to join in when you’ve been creating your public pieces? 
Continually! Everyone is full of zest and enthusiasm. 

What’s the most enjoyable work you have produced and why? 
A guy once asked me to create a chewing gum piece that formed his proposal to his partner, that was quite special.

What advice do have for young budding artists?
It’s not about making something look like something – it’s about the creative process. You’re already there just by being who you are, so don’t underestimate the impact that you have. With the world as it is, we need artists to help us to decipher what is real and what isn’t and creativity is more important than ever before. Keep believing in yourself and don’t let the bastards get you down!

You can come and see the pieces yourself throughout our lounge and cafe at The Pilgrm until early 2025.