A Monumental Milestone: WhIsBe Unveils His Largest Sculpture to Date — The 25-Foot Vandal Gummy in Hong Kong

In the crisp autumn air of November 2022, along the bustling Victoria Harbour waterfront in Hong Kong, a towering red figure rose against the historic skyline. Standing over 25 feet (approximately 8 meters) tall, WhIsBe’s Vandal Gummy Dino made its grand debut as part of the outdoor public art exhibition “Tick Tock, Tick Tock.” This wasn’t just another installation — it marked a career-defining moment for the New York-based artist, representing his largest sculpture produced up to that point and a bold evolution of his iconic series.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by WhIsBe (@whisbe)

whom

WhIsBe — short for “What Is Beauty?” — is a contemporary street artist whose real identity remains intentionally enigmatic, eliciting the work itself to take center stage. Emerging from New York’s vibrant street art scene, he attended the School of Visual Arts but is largely self-taught in the techniques that define his practice. His art masterfully juxtaposes symbols of innocence and nostalgia with darker themes of authority, loss, and societal control.

The Vandal Gummy series, which began gaining traction in the mid-2000s, is his most recognizable body of work. It reimagines the cheerful, colorful gummy bear — a childhood staple — as a “vandal” in police mugshot format. Each piece typically features the bear holding a Department of Corrections placard with details like “BEAR, GUMMY” and a date. This clever contrast forces viewers to confront how society can criminalize or corrupt innocence, turning something sweet into something subversive.

Over the years, the series has expanded far beyond two-dimensional prints and smaller sculptures. WhIsBe has installed Vandal Gummies in prestigious venues including the New Museum in New York (2016), the lobby of 4 World Trade Center (2017), Art Basel fairs, Burning Man, the Moco Museum in Amsterdam, and beyond. His work has also entered private collections and museum holdings, solidifying his place in both street and fine art worlds.

flow

The Tick Tock, Tick Tock exhibition was presented by the First Initiative Foundation (FIF) and supported by the Hong Kong Tourism Board and local government. It ran from mid-November 2022 until January 1, 2023, transforming the area around the iconic Tsim Sha Tsui Clock Tower into a vibrant public art destination.

The centerpiece was the massive red Vandal Gummy Dino — a hybrid creature merging the soft, gelatinous form of a gummy bear with prehistoric dinosaur features like horns and spikes. This mix wasn’t random; it tied directly into the exhibition’s theme of time. Positioned directly in front of the historic Clock Tower (a declared monument built in 1915 as part of the former Kowloon-Canton Railway terminus), the sculpture created a powerful dialogue between past and present. The 44-meter-tall Edwardian brick tower, with its chimes marking the hours, stood in striking contrast to the glossy, modern 26-foot bear.

WhIsBe explained his inspiration: After visiting Hong Kong years earlier, he was captivated by the city’s landscape and energy. He wanted to create something that integrated seamlessly with Hong Kong’s identity while pushing his own practice forward. The result was a site-specific work that celebrated both the location’s history and the artist’s evolving view.

evolve

One of the most groundbreaking elements of this sculpture was the use of technology. For the first time in the Vandal Gummy series, WhIsBe replaced the traditional static mugshot plaque with a dynamic LCD/LED screen. This digital plaque displayed rotating visuals, including:

• A countdown timer synchronized with the hourly chimes of the Clock Tower.
• Videos and images contributed by the Hong Kong public, collected by FIF, highlighting community stories and moments.
• Custom animations that added layers of interactivity and modernity to the piece.

This innovation transformed the sculpture from a static object into a living, breathing installation that engaged directly with its audience and surroundings. The “DEPT. OF CONFECTIONS HONG KONG” text playfully adapted the usual “Department of Corrections” motif to fit the local context.

Fabricating a weather-resistant, 25-foot-tall sculpture for Hong Kong’s humid subtropical climate required significant engineering. The piece featured a durable, high-gloss red finish that gleamed under harbor lights and sunlight, making it a photogenic magnet for both locals and tourists. A smaller teal-colored Vandal Gummy (around 2 meters tall) with a chrome finish was also installed nearby along the waterfront, providing a complementary companion piece.

unveil

The unveiling was a celebratory event, with WhIsBe (seen in the photo wearing black, standing beside a suited collaborator) marking the achievement alongside key partners like Adrian Cheung of FIF. The installation drew an estimated 1.5 million visitors during its run, becoming a major holiday-season attraction.

Visitors posed with the giant bear, shared selfies on social media, and engaged with the digital elements. It perfectly embodied WhIsBe’s philosophy: art should be accessible, joyful at first glance, and thought-provoking upon deeper reflection. The play form invited interaction, while the thematic depth encouraged conversations about time, innocence, urban identity, and culture memory.

extent

The Hong Kong project built directly on previous milestones. The 2017 commission for 4 World Trade Center had already demonstrated WhIsBe’s ability to create impressionable large-scale works in prominent public spaces. The success in Hong Kong further expanded his global footprint into Asia and opened doors for future ambitious installations.

Since then, WhIsBe has continued pushing boundaries. In late 2025, he launched REWIND, a major installation of six large-scale sculptures at the World Trade Center Oculus in New York, including a prominent red-white-and-blue Vandal Gummy. He has also ventured into consumer products, launching real Vandal Gummy Bear candies — literally turning art into something edible and extending the brand’s reach.

why

At its core, the Vandal Gummy series is about lost innocence. As WhIsBe has noted, we all begin life as naïve — until experiences “vandalize” that purity. The gummy bear, once a symbol of simple pleasure, becomes a stand-in for resilience, rebellion, and the human condition. By placing these figures in monumental scale in public spaces, WhIsBe democratizes high-concept art, making it part of everyday urban life.

The Hong Kong installation amplified this message through its connection to time and history. The Clock Tower, a survivor of wars, urban redevelopment, and the passage of a century, paired naturally with the “dino” hybrid — evoking extinction, evolution, and endurance.

leg

Tick Tock, Tick Tock stands as a testament to successful cross-cultural collaboration. It brought together an American street artist, Hong Kong philanthropic and governmental institutions, and the public in a shared celebration of creativity. The project not only boosted tourism and local pride but also demonstrated the power of public art to activate historic spaces and create new memories.

This day, the Vandal Gummy continues to evolve as a global icon — from limited-edition prints to massive sculptures, digital experiences, and even confectionery. Either  viewed in a gallery, on the street, or towering over a harbor, it consistently delivers that signature WhIsBe magic: a smile followed by deeper reflection.

This 25-foot giant in Hong Kong wasn’t just the artist’s largest sculpture at the time — it was a vibrant reminder that art can bridge time, cultures, and gens, turning public spaces into places of wonder, connection, and conversation.