Is there a better way to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Sydney Opera House, or indeed the operatic art form, than by experiencing Waiting for the Sibyl?

Hardly. And what an experience it is.

Waiting for the Sibyl at the Sydney Opera House. Photo © David Boon

Fans of William Kentridge last had the opportunity to see a major body of his work in 2018–2019, when he curated his own highly theatrical retrospective at the Art Gallery of New South Wales. Titled William Kentridge: that which we do not remember, it coincided with his staging of Wozzek for Opera Australia.

Opera buffs aware of his earlier productions like Lulu and The Nose would have been familiar with Kentridge’s trademark use of newspaper print, projected word art, shadow play and flipbook animation that brings his ink and charcoal drawings to life.

However, what Kentridge’s AGNSW exhibition revealed was the incredible detail he pours into his preparatory sketches and model work; each one an exceptional work of art, not dissimilar to that of Christo and Jeanne-Claude.

It is the marriage of the finished product with this explorative work from Kentridge’s drawing board and studio...