Petrit Halilaj
Born in 1986 at Kostërrc (Skenderaj-Kosovo).
Lives and works in Bozzolo, Berlin & Pristina (Italy, Germany & Kosovo).
Petrit Halilaj draws his inspiration from his childhood, a period marked by the political and cultural tensions that were felt in his homeland of Kosovo during the 1990s. He produces installations, based mostly on his personal memories and dreams.
For Petrit Halilaj the source of the medium plays an important role in the meaning of his artworks. He makes use of materials from Kosovo, such as earth or the rubble from his house, destroyed during the war. He sometimes recreates lost or destroyed objects, such as his mother's jewellery, which she had buried in their garden for safekeeping, or the stuffed animals from the Pristina Museum of Natural History, also destroyed during the war.
His work has been exhibited in institutions like the Kunstraum, Innsbrück (2011); the WIELS Contemporary Art Center in Brussels (2013); the Kölnischer Kunstverein, Cologne; the Bundeskunsthalle, Bonn (2015); the Pirelli Hangar Bicocca in Milan (2015), and the New Museum of New York (2017).
14th July / Interview Petrit Halilaj
