Ben Wakeling

B. London 1985
Occupation: Artist

Guest lecturer for ‘Arts in Health’ at psychology dept at UWE.
Founder of Outsider Gallery and Hackney Wick Life Drawing.
Also, I am currently delivering my Expressive Arts and Wellbeing programme for the NHS MHT North London Forensic Service, since 2016.

As well as being a full time artist working from my studio in Hackney Wick, London, I am currently employed as an artist for the NHS - delivering my own expressive arts programme for NHS North London Forensic Service which has been an incredible challenging but exciting journey as I also engage with NHS mental health services due to having a Bipolar diagnosis.
This work also lead me to become the founding director of Outsider Gallery, London's first & Innovative art gallery exhibiting original works from NHS trusts in Forensic, CAMHS, HMP institutions, secure units, care settings & the excluded.

I would say my childhood and early adult life experiences definitely informs my work. I never knew how to describe my work, I didn’t contemplate it until a doctor described my scribbles as self portraits and that they were/ or still are outcomes” - and I have a record that lists me as a vandal that causes criminal damage.
Because of these two long ...