“Chew on This” – Contemporary Art Photography of Chewed Gum and the Mind at Work

Chew on This is an experimental art photography project that explores the inner workings of my mind while meditating or reflecting on contemporary issues such as climate change, war, money, space exploration, and life in New York City. Each piece begins with a simple act: chewing gum. For me, gum chewing becomes a stress-relieving ritual—just as some people smoke, snack, binge-watch, or scroll endlessly online.

As I chew, my mind flows freely through the overwhelming barrage of daily news and information. When I finish, I notice the discarded gum takes on a unique form. The shape and bite marks reflect the subject matter I was processing—thinking about the war in Ukraine leaves deep impressions, while lighter topics form smoother, more relaxed shapes. Over months, I saved and dried these chewed gum sculptures, transforming them into unexpected contemporary art objects.

I began photographing each piece, but not as sterile catalog shots. Instead, I designed one-of-a-kind photographic environments with creative lighting and textured backdrops, ranging from crumpled paper to reflective aluminum foil. Using a small lamp, handheld flashlight with colored gels, and long exposures, I allowed light to move across the subject, creating unpredictable and expressive results. Every photograph is a unique capture of a chewed gum sculpture, blending chance, meditation, and contemporary commentary into a visual archive of thought.

Chew on This is both a personal meditation and an artistic statement—an exploration of how the human mind processes stress, news, and desire, made visible through photography and the overlooked medium of chewed gum art.