Pop culture, candy-coated
Local Artist
By Mark J. Lucas |
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Michelangelo had marble, Picasso had oil paints, and local artist Ben Harben has a completely different medium which most would never have thought to use for artistic purposes:
Bubblegum.
Local bubblegum artist Ben Harben
Photo: Christopher Atwood
In 1998, Harben embarked on a project he now calls the Bubblegum Society, in which he takes chewed pieces of gum and molds them to create confectionary portraits. Those pieces, which could have been pulled from the undersides of so many high-school classroom desks, have pulled his sticky hobby to international attention. It all began with his college design class.
"We were tasked to make a sculpture, all out of the same material, that we could manipulate," says Harben. "My uncle had given me a plastic basketball full of gum. I knew that I couldn't chew it all, so I used it for this project. I chewed it all and stuck it to a lamp."
This first project did not receive the acclaim that he'd hoped for, but with some encouragement from his professor, he decided to take it in a different direction.
"After that, I did a 3-foot by 4-foot copy of Matisse's The Green Line," says Harben. "The teacher said that was what I needed to do."
But it wasn't until shortly thereafter that he stumbled upon the subject matter that would truly fit the medium with which he works: namely, reality television stars.
"I knew I could make art out of bubblegum," explains Harben, "but it had no purpose or meaning, so I wanted people to think more about the reasoning for using bubble gum. I took the bubblegum as an analogy, saying that you put gum in your mouth and the flavor only lasts so long. Gum is candy colored, coated to look shiny, makes you want to buy it, but the flavor only lasts 15 minutes, like the fame of a reality television star. People pluck [reality television stars] out of society - which is why it's called the Bubblegum Society - they gloss it and put it into bright colors," he said. "Then, the second the episode is over, you forget about them."
Supplies and a finished piece
Photo: Christopher Atwood
Though an unorthodox medium, there are still nuances to consider, including the brand used.
"I like Rainblow," says Harben. "Bubblicious makes the best purple, but it's hard to work with. I only use gum colors. I could take red and blue and mix them together to make purple, but they make purple gum, so I'd use that. I could make this look more realistic, but then it wouldn't look as much like gum, which is the point."
Even as I interview Harben, he gnaws on a piece of gum, and that's probably for the best. Each 8" x 10" portrait he makes (a size he intentionally selected, because it is most likely the size of the headshots the reality T.V. stars turned in to be placed on the show) requires 30 - 40 gumballs to complete.
"My wife helps," says Harben. "I've had other people help me in the past, but it's really disgusting to touch someone else's spit, so now I do as much as I can myself. I try to build mastication machines. I made one out of a meat tenderizer and a jigsaw, but it was a total failure. I have a microwave here. I can chew all the gum I want, save it, and then heat it up later, but it works the same way with the pieces. If I leave any of these in the hot sun, it'll be gone. It's like a Gremlin."
This peculiar art form has definitely taken Harben places. To date, he has been approached by television shows in South Korea, The United Arab Emirates, and Germany. He's even been featured on David Letterman.
"Letterman has weird artists come on and do portraits of Biff Henderson, their stage manager," says Harben. "My wife and I chewed a 2-foot by 3.5-foot Biff Henderson in 45 minutes. Ellen had already contacted me and said they didn't want me. Apparently, they had a guy that could put gum in his mouth, chew it up and spit it out as fully formed sculptures. I guess they thought my work wasn't as cool as what this guy did."
But with any art, one must suffer to achieve. Harben admits that, though he watches reality television, he thinks its bad for him. Apparently, so is his chosen medium. The physical act of chewing pounds of gum at a time has taken a dental toll on Harben.
"I have nine fillings right now," explains Harben. "After I created most of the work in this room, I received two filling directly afterwards. I've learned how to take care of my teeth better, though. I use fluoride treatments - the wash next to the toothpaste that no one ever buys. It helps, but I'll always still get cavities."
On his growing fame, Harben admits that he wouldn't have seen it coming. His work is contextual, and it will stay that way. When there are none left to remember the fleetingly famous stars depicted in his work, there will be no work left to see. Due to the nature of the gum, it cannot be preserved indefinitely, falling apart after only a few years. It is a bittersweet, but fitting fate that Harben willingly accepts, saying that the erosion is "the great thing about it." Hopefully the great masters felt the same way about their oil paintings, which themselves will one day be relegated to the jaws of oblivion. Harben's art will help ensure those jaws are strong, though pained by cavities from time to time.
Originally Published: June 1, 2009
