On October 4th, Oupa Sibeko’s new solo project Bench Play opened at David Krut Projects in Johannesburg. The show embodies the power of play and observation, manifested in a dynamic body of works on paper made in collaboration with Jesse Shepstone at the David Krut Workshop. This series of unique works on paper – made with performative methods – are the result of an exploratory process deeply rooted in bodily presence, improvisation, and material curiosity.
Oupa Sibeko’s Bench Play installation at David Krut Projects, 151 Jan Smuts Avenue in Parkwood, October 2025.
At the opening of the exhibition, Sibeko activated the space through a participatory performance titled Honey the Bench. As a continuation of the themes explored in his visual works, this performance expanded the project into the realm of live interaction, emphasising not just the object of art but also the process of its creation and the role of the audience in co-creating meaning. At the onset of the performance, Sibeko distributed sheets of paper, cut to precisely match the dimensions of his monotype postcard series in the exhibition, to the audience
He then opened a jar of honey and began to anoint his face and torso with it, declaring, “Honey is play.” In doing so, he established honey as both a literal and metaphorical medium: tactile, sensuous, unpredictable, and sweet, an invitation to explore the body, materiality, and care.
He then invited the audience to participate, instructing them to dip their fingers into the honey and draw with it on the sheets of paper. The gesture activated the audience, transforming them from passive observers into engaged collaborators.
Over a few rounds of participation, participants returned to their drawings, building up sticky layers of gestures and marks. On the final round, Sibeko introduced an element of reflection, asking each person whether they felt their drawing was complete. This open-ended prompt emphasised self-assessment and intentionality in the act of making.
What emerged was a fascinating collection of improvised drawings ranging from abstract gestures and tactile swirls to fish, portraits, and symbolic shapes. The completed drawings were ceremoniously collected by the artist who proceeded to arrange them in a grid formation on the veranda of the Blue House. This quiet ritual of laying down the drawings became a symbolic act of honouring the participants’ contributions, creating a collective artwork that was as much about participation as it was about the visual result.
The resulting “honey drawings” form a compelling counterpoint to Sibeko’s own watercolour monotypes. While his studio works are refined through layered, deliberate printmaking techniques and collaboration with print technicians, the audience drawings are raw, instinctive, and ephemeral. Yet both series share a commonality in format and intent. The are intimate, tactile, and invite close inspection. Each sheet functions as a trace of a moment, whether it is the artist’s gesture or the audience’s response.
Moreover, the choice of honey as a drawing medium introduced a sensory richness and a playful unpredictability. Its thick, sticky texture altered how marks were made, opening a conversation after the performance about the possibilities of honey as a material in printmaking and etching. Could this organic substance, typically associated with nourishment and sweetness, be translated into the more technical language of etching? This question itself highlights the open, experimental spirit that runs through Bench Play.
Audience engagement in this context does more than create a participatory spectacle. It becomes a means of dissolving boundaries between artist and audience, artwork and process. The drawings created during the performance are not simply artifacts of an event but are essential components of the project’s broader investigation into play, intimacy, and material exploration. In Bench Play, the bench becomes not only a site of rest or waiting but a stage for dialogue and exchange.
Written by Amé Bell