“Work work work” transforms Frascati Amsterdam into a temporary museum for performance art. For eight hours a day—a full workday—the building is open to visitors. The exhibition, featuring works by Dries and six other artists, explores the laboring human body in times of automation. A wide range of performances, visual art, and video works examine the relationship between employer, employee, and (art) consumer.

At the center of the exhibition is “Brothers exalt thee to freedom“, a durational performance in which Bulgarian seasonal workers sing the eponymous labor song for eight hours a day under the working conditions of Amazon. It is presented alongside “Time Clock Piece” (One Year Performance 1980-1981) by Tehching Hsieh, a video documentation of the artist clocking in every hour of the day for a full year. Pierre Bal Blanc reflects on his work as a go-go dancer in Félix González-Torres’ performance in “Employment Contract” (1992). Other existing works include “Time Machine” (2014) by Julian Hetzel and “Workpiece” (2021) by Anna-Marija Adomaitytė.

New works created for the exhibition are “Labour after Pay” (2024) by Ahmet Öğüt and “Body in Resistance” (2024) by Gosia Wdowik. Other works by Dries Verhoeven include the documentary “The Recruitment”, the video piece “To Perform”, and the installations “Songs for Thomas Piketty” (2016), “Burger” (2021), and “Painkiller Dispenser” (2021).