The Hip Workshop

The Hip Workshop Art and handmade furniture from the Hip Workshop. Ben Playle has recently moved from Kigali, Rwanda to New York City.

Ben Playle is a British artist and furniture designed resident in Kigali, Rwanda.

The pieces of the puzzle are falling into place….. New body of interactive artwork in my exhibition The Final Cut. Openi...
07/05/2025

The pieces of the puzzle are falling into place….. New body of interactive artwork in my exhibition The Final Cut. Opening on Saturday 10th May at 6pm .images

I have an exhibition of new work, opening on May 10th at 6pm .images A collection of interactive art fusing woodworking ...
03/05/2025

I have an exhibition of new work, opening on May 10th at 6pm .images
A collection of interactive art fusing woodworking and stencil art. This will be my last exhibition in Jordan as I leave for Kenya in June.

I have an exhibition of new work opening next Saturday 10th May at 6pm .images I have been exploring the idea of interac...
03/05/2025

I have an exhibition of new work opening next Saturday 10th May at 6pm .images I have been exploring the idea of interactive art with works on puzzles and blocks, combining woodworking with stencil work.

A group exhibition .images commemorating the 50 year anniversary of the passing of Kulthum the iconic Egyptian singer. 4...
12/02/2025

A group exhibition .images commemorating the 50 year anniversary of the passing of Kulthum the iconic Egyptian singer. 4 layer stencil on 8 on patterned fabric.

The Dukes Diwan in downtown Amman. This was one of the first stencils I cut when I first arrived in Jordan nearly 6 year...
09/02/2025

The Dukes Diwan in downtown Amman. This was one of the first stencils I cut when I first arrived in Jordan nearly 6 years ago. The last two editions are available .images rather nicely framed… by me. #

Catching up with with a few posts of lasts years paste up paste up festivals. and Jamming nicely with and .cl Thanks ...
08/02/2025

Catching up with with a few posts of lasts years paste up paste up festivals. and Jamming nicely with and .cl Thanks to for the pictures. hand cut stencil and spray paint on paper

Amman Cityscape, mono variant. Stencils and spray paint on embellished Arches paper. Spot the yellow 🚖 taxi! And a bit o...
24/11/2023

Amman Cityscape, mono variant. Stencils and spray paint on embellished Arches paper. Spot the yellow 🚖 taxi! And a bit of rubber stamp love on the back side. On show and for sale in my show case A Slice of the City .images 🇯🇴

Amman Cityscape in blues, stencil and spray paint on embellished Arches paper. Particularly pleased with this version, i...
23/11/2023

Amman Cityscape in blues, stencil and spray paint on embellished Arches paper. Particularly pleased with this version, it turned out well. On show and sale in my showcase A Slice of the City .images

Amman Cityscape twilight variant, stencil and spray paint on embellished Arches paper. On show at my showcase A Slice of...
22/11/2023

Amman Cityscape twilight variant, stencil and spray paint on embellished Arches paper. On show at my showcase A Slice of the City .images

Amman Cityscape pink variant on embellished Arches paper. Spray paint and stencils. On show at my showcase A Slice of th...
21/11/2023

Amman Cityscape pink variant on embellished Arches paper. Spray paint and stencils. On show at my showcase A Slice of the City .images

Downtown Amman 32 colour hand cut stencil, edition of 10 on synthetic paper. Long time cutting this stencil. Trying to c...
20/11/2023

Downtown Amman 32 colour hand cut stencil, edition of 10 on synthetic paper. Long time cutting this stencil. Trying to capture the urban density on the hill side. Happy with the final result. On show now in my showcase A Slice of the City .images

Palestinian stamp 🇵🇸flag. All proceeds from the sales of these prints during the show goes to Gaza through the Jordan Ha...
17/11/2023

Palestinian stamp 🇵🇸flag. All proceeds from the sales of these prints during the show goes to Gaza through the Jordan Hashemite Charity Organisation (JHCO) On sale .images

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The hip workshop

The artist and furniture designer/maker, Ben Playle, stencils scenes of urban and rural life. He developed his style whilst living in Kigali, Rwanda, drawing influence from the traditional African designs of the communities in which he lived. Now based in NYC, he continues to use the medium of spray can art to capture observations of city life. His latest designs can be found on instagram #hipworkshop and on his website www.thehipworkshop.com.

In Rwanda, Ben had four solo art exhibitions, using the graffiti artist medium of spray cans and stencils. The Cans to Canvas series captures life in the densely populated hills of Rwanda, where the bicycle taxi is the main source of transportation. His work is a familiar sight in galleries in Kigali, with profiles in local media including the East African and Rwandan New Times. The Cans to Canvas collection is now available to buy online through the Diani Beach Art Gallery - but shipping from Mombassa, Kenya so more convenient for those living in East Africa than Europe.

Ben graduated from Leeds Metropolitan University in 1997 with a degree in 3D design, specialising in furniture. From there, he joined a community art group working with local councils and schools in Brighton, England. The Hip Workshop was established shortly after, designing one off pieces and furniture on commission. He has since taken the hip workshop to Swaziland, Ethiopia and Rwanda, countries in which he has lived and worked since 2001. Ben realised his designs by learning to work with wood. Always keen to pass on skills to others, Ben led the ‘Good Wood’ movement in Addis Ababa, training up furniture cooperatives to produce high quality designs for local sale.