Ben Harben's Bubblegum Society

The Bubblegum Society is a collection of art made up of reality television stars such as Joe Millionaire, Paris Hilton and William Hung. Each star's likeness has been "chewed up and spit out" in ordinary bubblegum on canvas.

Harben uses chewing gum as a medium in an attempt to draw attention to the sugar-coated disposability of television's 15-minute famers. He presents their well-chewed portraits in tribute to their inevitable decline. Harben sees these decomposing portraits as an allusion to the way that society half-digests those relegated to fast fame, before moving onto the next empty-calorie, low-substance entertainment snack.

"Each stars likeness has been 'chewed up and spit out' in ordinary bubble gum on canvas."

Bubblegum culture usually implies cheerfully shallow, pre-fabricated celebrities whom are cooked up by those more interested in an easily duplicated recipe for profit than quality. The mass-marketability and cheap price tag of bubble gum culture has been exploited by the entertainment industry since the inception of the catchy bubblegum pop music of the 1960s. Such light-hearted acts were easily digestible diversions for the socially turbulent era. Today, when the nation is again at war and divided internally, reality TV stars seem to be the newest entree in the distracting junk-food diet of entertainment.

Fame can be a casual friend, one with low expectations, a short attention span and an unforgiving timeline. Harben's hope is that his portraits might help root out the bitter taste these stars may leave in our collective mouths once they have disintegrated. And in showcasing the strange lifecycle of today's most infamous faces, ironically, he is giving them just a few more minutes of curious fame, past their fifteen minute expiration date.

Ben Harben is an artist and freelance graphic designer drawing from a diverse education in fine arts and graphic design to produce work through a multitude of mediums. Illustrations, painting, interactive and bubblegum are a few of the tools through which brands, promotions and observations are presented. He has been creating bubble gum portraits for exhibition and commission since 1998. For more information about the work or custom portraits please contact the artist at info@bubblegumsociety.com or visit his other website www.benharben.com.