BEN WAKELING
Ben Wakeling is a painter whose work sits between figuration and abstraction, shaped by his background in graffiti and street art. Drawing on personal experiences and his role as an art therapist with the NHS, his paintings explore themes of trauma, vulnerability, and mental health. His expressive mark-making—ranging from delicate brushwork to aggressive gestures—creates a raw visual language where obscured figures emerge and dissolve. Often trapped within chaotic layers, these forms reflect the struggle and resilience of the human condition, existing in a space that is both powerful and conflicted.
BEYOND ME
Beyond ME is a moving exhibition as the artist explores the chapters that shaped him, from a rebellious youth to illness, loss, and finding himself through art, and arrives at the most life-changing chapter of all: becoming a father. At its heart is a celebration of the tenderness and closeness between fathers and their children, a kind of intimacy men are too often made to feel embarrassed about. Having faced his darkest moments, he now finds in fatherhood a powerful reason to keep going and look forward. This is a show about love, resilience, and what lies beyond the hardest times.
SELECTED ARTWORKS
Sculpture 1
Fire extinguisher vessel from a previous graffiti sporting ventures
2026
120cm x 150cm
Fire extinguisher acrylic, spray paint, oil and charcoal
2026
Artist framed
180cm x 200cm
Fire extinguisher acrylic, spray paint, charcoal and oil
2026
Artist Framed
120cmx 120cm in raw hessian canvas
Fire extinguisher acrylic, spray paint, oil and charcoal
2026
Artist framed
150cm x 120cm
Fire extinguisher acrylic, spray paint and oil on raw hessian canvas
2026
Artist framed
2025
Original
Fire extinguisher acrylic, oil bar and spray paint on raw hesssiancanvas
120cm (w) x 160cm (h)
2025
Original
Fire extinguisher acrylic, oil bar and spray paint on raw hesssiancanvas
120cm (w) x 160cm (h)
2025
Original
Fire extinguisher acrylic, oil bar and spray paint on raw hesssiancanvas
120cm (w) x 160cm (h)
2025
Original
Fire extinguisher acrylic, oil bar and spray paint on canvas
120cm (w) x 160cm (h)
2025
Original
Fire extinguisher acrylic, oil bar and spray paint on canvas
120cm (w) x 160cm (h)
2025
Original
Fire extinguisher acrylic, oil bar and spray paint on raw hessian canvas
120cm (w) x 160cm (h)
2025
Original
Fire extinguisher acrylic, oil bar and spray paint on raw hessian canvas
120cm (w) x 160cm (h)
Charcoal, oil and acrylic on raw canvas
2025