Gallery Weekend Berlin has just come to a close, bringing with it a wealth of unique impressions from the art world. The entire city revolved around new exhibitions this weekend, transforming itself into an open-air gallery. But just because the event is over doesn’t mean the exhibitions have ended. The new CHANEL Commission at the Hamburger Bahnhof also opened on May 1, but can be visited until January 10, 2027 . It is the exhibition “We Make Years Out of Hours” by Lina Lapelytė —a vibrant, ever-changing performance installation.
The exhibition is presented in the museum’s historic hall, which spans approximately 2,500 square meters . At its center is a vast expanse of some 400,000 wooden cubes, each measuring about 10 × 10 centimeters , which are constantly rearranged by performers and visitors. The whole experience is accompanied by singing and sound, creating a shifting landscape that functions simultaneously as temporary architecture and a collective work of art. The work is conceived as a living monument to time, care, and coexistence.
Sound is a central component of “We Make Years Out of Hours.” Texts by a total of 15 international authors are sung, including Khalil Gibran, Etel Adnan, Mahmoud Darwish, and Ocean Vuong. The texts consist of fragments that explore themes such as community, loss, hope, and connection.
What makes it special is that the work functions solely through participation. Visitors can help build it themselves, causing structures to emerge and disappear again. Nothing remains fixed; everything is in constant flux. As a result, the installation raises questions such as what endures, who decides what is built or destroyed, and what traces we leave behind.
Visually and atmospherically, the work appears both minimalist and monumental. It moves between installation, performance, and social experiment and is perceived as meditative, almost ritualistic, yet at the same time political and emotional.
