Millennium Bridge Chewing Gum Art (2013-present)
Ben Wilson (b.1963)
untitled artworks (2013-present)
chewed gum, enamel, acrylic paint, lacquer
dimensions vary
Millennium Bridge, London, UK
“It’s chewing gum” is a statement I find the urge to say out loud almost every time I cross the Millennium Bridge, but since I haven’t yet figured out a way to say it that doesn’t make me sound smug, or a bit scary, or just batshit crazy, I keep it to myself whenever I walk past curious tourists, spotting for the very first time, the subject of this month’s column.
In 2004 artist Ben Wilson began painting on chewing gum. Which brand? It doesn’t matter. Literally any old gum will do, because Wilson specifically paints the dirty black gobs that get stuck to the pavement after they’ve been spit out by thoughtless people. It took some experimentation but the process he eventually landed on — involving a blowtorch, three layers of enamel, acrylic paint and a clear lacquer seal — transforms lumps of polymers, plasticisers, resins and saliva into vibrant, colourful splats of joy.
If you spot them, that is. Most people tend to walk right by. Not just because they’re teeny-tiny, but because most people have conditioned themselves to filter out unpleasant public sights like graffiti, spills, stains and trash. Not so on the Millennium Bridge, where Wilson’s interventions stand out. Partly because his colourful artworks create a stark visual contrast with the grey foot treads, and partly due to the sheer number that he’s made.
Wilson and his gum kit first arrived at the Millennium Bridge in 2013 and during the following decade he painted over 600 wads of chewing gum he’d found scattered along its 325 metre span. That’s a higher concentration of paintings than you’ll find in the nearby Tate Modern, but the City of London felt even one was too much. In 2023 a planned three-week closure to allow for “urgent maintenance work after parts of its underside started to degrade” was announced but it was soon revealed the repairs would also include a surface power-wash to make the walkway look brand new, eradicating all of Wilson’s art in the process.
The fact that Wilson is technically painting rubbish, and not city property, has been in his favour on two occasions when the police have intervened but all street artists know that what they do is ephemeral. Whether it remained as an unprimed canvas or housed one of Wilson’s creations, wads of chewing gum are always at risk of being washed away in a street clean. Still, the news was a shock to Wilson but what he didn’t fully appreciate until word spread was the incredibly deep emotions the British public have for quirky initiatives like his, and the acute sense of ownership Londoners adopt for their public parks and public art.
The threat to his gum drew coverage from every major UK newspaper and TV news show. Social media stories went viral. An online petition to save the gum received over 5,000 signatures and eventually the city agreed to save around 100 of the artworks, partnering with Wilson to identify which ones to maintain. And because humans are inherently disgusting and constantly spitting out new blank canvasses for him to find, Wilson continues to make regular visits to re-populate to the trail.
As I mentioned, it’s all too easy to walk right past one of Wilson’s chewing gum works. Especially on the Millennium Bridge which provides occupants unparalleled views of St. Paul’s Cathedral, the Shard, Tate Modern and Tower Bridge. But it only takes one curious person, squatting down with their face close to the ground, to remind me they’re there. Often it’s a child, because kids have an annoying habit of getting distracted by things their busy parents don’t have time for. It’s always incredibly amusing when parents realise their child has lagged behind, and then I watch them begrudgingly huff and puff their way back to their kid, wondering why they are animatedly pointing at their feet. Next thing you know, the entire family will be huddled around something colourful and confusing. What is it? Why is it stuck to the bridge? I’ve walked past enough of these occurrences to know that people rarely have a clue what they’re looking at, and I always wonder how many of them will take the time to research it later.
I hope they do because the answer isn’t hard to find. Wilson’s little works have proved so popular that this 815-word article could just as easily have been a list of 815 links to articles about his chewing gum art. Degas drew dancers, Kusama paints polka dots, Lisa Brice likes cats and Ben Wilson will forever be known as the Chewing Gum Man. Why the fascination? The best possible answer comes from the artist himself. Speaking to the BBC in 2023 Ben said: “I am taking something that’s literally thrown away and disgusting, taking eugh and making it into mmm.”
That’s why I like it.
Some chewing gum never gets stale.
A blank canvas waits for Ben…
Additional reading:
Artist website: benwilsonchewinggumman.com
Artist Instagram: @benwilsonchewinggumman
Previously, on Why I Like It:
May — Asparagus Duo (2023, 2025), Joel Ely / Russell Webb
Apr — Art on the Underground (2000-present), various artists
Mar — Everyone I Have Ever Slept With (1995), Tracey Emin
Want more? Here’s a list of the first three dozen articles in this series.