During Berlin Art Week, the performative exhibition On the Clock will transform the upper floor of Manifesto Market at Potsdamer Platz into a fully functioning, transparent working studio. Running from September 9 to 13, 2026, the project strips away traditional exhibition formats, placing the raw, continuous process of artistic labour directly in front of the public.
Across five days, nine artists, dressed uniformly in blue work overalls, will occupy repurposed food stall structures to work in designated shifts across painting, music production, fashion design, choreography, and spatial installation. Working under a strict, factory-style timetable and fluorescent lighting, the performers enter their stations, practice without prior staging or editorial framing, and clock out when their shift ends.
By eliminating the focus on a finalised, polished object, On the Clock collapses the boundaries between artist, labourer, and spectator. The uniform functions as a visual equaliser, making a direct statement about artistic output as work that holds intrinsic value simply through the act of execution.
The participating artists include Alessio Cannizzo, Sobrenegro, Renato De Leon, Delfina Carmona & Momo Scacchi, Giorgia Tessarollo, Mollie Mia Murphy, Anne Bengard, Giorgio Renda, Roman Peer Schröer, and Tanyel.
The project is a collaborative initiative produced by Kinder der Welt (a Berlin-based spatial design and infrastructure practice), Placebo Collective (an independent, self-financed curatorial platform active across Italy and Germany), and Leonis Works (led by Renato De Leon, centring on experiential design and cross-disciplinary performance).
On the Clock
Dates: September 9–13, 2026
Hours: Sept 9–12: 12:00–20:00 | Sept 13: 12:00–22:00
Location: Manifesto Market (Upper Floor), Potsdamer Platz, 10785 Berlin
Admission: Free
@manifestomarket.berlin
@kinderderwaelt
@placebocollective
@leonis_works
@ontheclock.berlin
photos by @tiagodrago_
