Petrit Halilaj

PETRIT HALILAJ (b. 1986 in Kostërrc, Kosovo) understands exhibitions as a way to alter the course of personal and collective histories, creating complex worlds that claim space for freedom, desire, intimacy, and identity. His work is deeply connected to the recent history of his native country Kosovo and the consequences of cultural and political tensions in the region, which he often takes as a starting point for igniting countercurrent poetics for the future. Rooted in his biography, the projects encompass a variety of media, including sculpture, drawing, text, and performance. Often incorporating materials from Kosovo and manifesting as ambitious spatial installations, his work transposes personal relationships, places, and people into sculptural forms. Halilaj’s practice can be seen as a playful and, at times, irreverent attempt to resist oppressive politics and social norms towards an untamed celebration of all forms of connectedness and freedom. Kamel Mennour and Petrit Halilaj have been working together since 2014.

Halilaj held solo exhibitions at Fries Museum, Leeuwarden; Tate St Ives, UK; Palacio de Cristal, Museo Reina Sofia, Madrid; New Museum, New York; Fondazione Merz, Turin; Hammer Museum, Los Angeles; Paul Klee Zentrum, Bern; Pirelli HangarBicocca, Milan; Kölnischer Kunstverein, Cologne; Bundeskunsthalle, Bonn; Fondation d’Entreprise Galeries Lafayette, Paris; the National Gallery of Kosovo, Pristina; Kunsthalle Sankt Gallen; Kunsthalle Lissabon, Lisbon; and WIELS, Brussels, among others. His work was shown in group exhibitions at the 15th Lyon Biennale; the Louisiana Museum in Denmark; Palais de Tokyo, Paris; MAK Center for Art and Architecture, Los Angeles; Palazzo Grassi, Pinault Collection, Venice; NEON, Mykonos, Greece; and the Westfälischer Kunstverein, Münster, among others.

He represented Kosovo at the 55th Venice Biennale in 2013. He received the Mario Merz Prize, and the special mention of the jury at the 57th Venice Biennale in 2017.

In 2021, Tate St Ives presented his solo exhibition Very volcanic over this green feather. In 2022 he took part in Manifesta 14 in Pristina, Kosovo with a large-scale public art work that is now on permanent display in the city. In 2023 together with Alvaro Urbano Petrit Halilaj presented the installation Lunar Ensemble for Uprising Seas at The Ocean Space in Venice, as well as a selection of Very volcanic over this green feather in the Red Cross and Red Crescent Museum in Geneva, with the exhibition Petrit Halilaj (Unfinished Histories). In November 2023, the exhibition Petrit Halilaj: Runik will open at Tamayo Museum, Mexico. In December 2023, he will take part in the NGV Triennial in Melbourne, Australia.

Halilaj studied at the Brera Academy of Fine Art in Milan. He received the Smithsonian Artist Research Fellowship (SARF) in 2018 and completed the MAK-Schindler Scholarship Program at the Mackey Apartments, Los Angeles, as well as residencies at the Villa Romana, Florence and Fürstenberg Contemporary, Heiligenberg. He is currently a professor at the Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Beaux Arts de Paris, France, together with his partner and frequent artistic collaborator, Álvaro Urbano.

He lives and works between Germany, Kosovo and Italy.

Works

Exhibition view, NGV International, Melbourne - © Mennour
Exhibition view, NGV International, Melbourne, 2023
Exhibition view, International Red Cross and Red Crescent Museum, Geneva - © Mennour
Exhibition view, International Red Cross and Red Crescent Museum, Geneva, 2023
Exhibition view, Nobel Peace Center, Oslo - © Mennour
Exhibition view, Nobel Peace Center, Oslo, 2023
Exhibition view, Bally Foundation, Lugano - © Mennour
Exhibition view, Bally Foundation, Lugano, 2023
2nd of December 2015 (Palm seeds) - © Mennour
2nd of December 2015 (Palm seeds), 2020
Exhibition view, Ocean Space, Venice - © Mennour
Exhibition view, Ocean Space, Venice, 2023
Exhibition view, Frankfurter Kunstverein - © Mennour
Exhibition view, Frankfurter Kunstverein, 2022
Exhibition view, Manifesta 14, Prishtina - © Mennour
Exhibition view, Manifesta 14, Prishtina, 2022
Exhibition view, kamel mennour, Paris - © Mennour
Exhibition view, kamel mennour, Paris, 2022
Installation view, Opéra Comique, Paris - © Mennour
Installation view, Opéra Comique, Paris, 2021
Exhibition view, Tate St Ives - © Mennour
Exhibition view, Tate St Ives, 2021
Here to Remind You 3 - © Mennour
Here to Remind You 3, 2021
Exhibition view, Fries Museum, Leeuwarden - © Mennour
Exhibition view, Fries Museum, Leeuwarden, 2022
Exhibition view, Lundskonsthall - © Mennour
Exhibition view, Lundskonsthall, 2021
Exhibition view, Autostrada Biennale, National Library, Prishtina - © Mennour
Exhibition view, Autostrada Biennale, National Library, Prishtina, 2021
Exhibition view, Art Quadriennale, Rome - © Mennour
Exhibition view, Art Quadriennale, Rome, 2020
Exhibition view, Palacio de Cristal, Museo Reina Sofía, Madrid - © Mennour
Exhibition view, Palacio de Cristal, Museo Reina Sofía, Madrid, 2020
Bird Feeding stations - © Mennour
Bird Feeding stations, 2020
Exhibition view, Palacio de Cristal, Museo Reina Sofía, Madrid - © Mennour
Exhibition view, Palacio de Cristal, Museo Reina Sofía, Madrid, 2020
Exhibition view, Lyon Biennale - © Mennour
Exhibition view, Lyon Biennale, 2019
Exhibition view, Lyon Biennale - © Mennour
Exhibition view, Lyon Biennale, 2019
Abetare (Car with smoke) - © Mennour
Abetare (Car with smoke), 2020
Exhibition view, kamel mennour, Paris - © Mennour
Exhibition view, kamel mennour, Paris, 2014
Exhibition view, New Museum, New York - © Mennour
Exhibition view, New Museum, New York, 2017
With Alvaro Urbano, 27th of March 2012 (Forsythias) - © Mennour
With Alvaro Urbano, 27th of March 2012 (Forsythias), 2020
Exhibition view, Fondazione Merz, Turin - © Mennour
Exhibition view, Fondazione Merz, Turin, 2018
Exhibition view, Venice Biennale - © Mennour
Exhibition view, Venice Biennale, 2017
RU_ Ardeola ralloides, Threskiornis spinicollis - © Mennour
RU_ Ardeola ralloides, Threskiornis spinicollis, 2017
Exhibition view, Palacio de Cristal, Museo Reina Sofía, Madrid - © Mennour
Exhibition view, Palacio de Cristal, Museo Reina Sofía, Madrid, 2020
Moth #2 - © Mennour
Moth #2, 2017
Exhibition view, Hammer Museum, Los Angeles - © Mennour
Exhibition view, Hammer Museum, Los Angeles, 2018
Shkrepëtima - © Mennour
Shkrepëtima, 2019
Petrit Halilaj
Ru, 2019
Exhibition view  "Homeless Souls", Louisiana Museum, Danemark - © Courtesy the Artist, ChertLüdde, Berlin and kamel mennour, Paris/London, Mennour
Exhibition view, Louisiana Museum, Danemark, 2019
Abetare (Figure with square body) - © Mennour
Abetare (Figure with square body), 2015
Exhibition view, HangarBicocca, Milan - © Mennour
Exhibition view, HangarBicocca, Milan, 2015
Si Okarina e Runikut 4 - © Mennour
Si Okarina e Runikut 4, 2014—2019
Abetare (Three Flowers) - © Mennour
Abetare (Three Flowers), 2019
Do you realise there is a rainbow even if it’s night!? (red) - © Mennour
Do you realise there is a rainbow even if it’s night!? (red), 2017
Shkrepëtima - © Mennour
Shkrepëtima, 2019
Exhibition view, NEON, Mykonos - © Mennour
Exhibition view, NEON, Mykonos, 2019
Exhibition view, kamel mennour, Paris - © Mennour
Exhibition view, kamel mennour, Paris, 2017
Si Okarina e Runikut 3 - © Mennour
Si Okarina e Runikut 3, 2015
Moth #10 - © Mennour
Moth #10, 2017
Exhibition view, Bundeskunsthalle, Bonn - © Mennour
Exhibition view, Bundeskunsthalle, Bonn, 2015
Exhibition view, Pinault Collection, Punta Della Dogana, Venice - © Mennour
Exhibition view, Pinault Collection, Punta Della Dogana, Venice, 2015
Abetare (A Window) - © Mennour
Abetare (A Window), 2015
Exhibition view, SALTS, Basel - © Mennour
Exhibition view, SALTS, Basel, 2015
Petrit Halilaj
ABETARE
2018
View of the exhibition “Childhood - Another banana day for the dream-fish”, Palais de Tokyo, Paris, 2018 - © © Petrit Halilaj
Photo. archives kamel mennour
Courtesy the artist and kamel mennour Paris/London, Mennour
Exhibition view, Palais de Tokyo, Paris, 2018
Exhibition view, kamel mennour, London - © Mennour
Exhibition view, kamel mennour, London, 2017
Exhibition view, WIELS, Brussels - © Mennour
Exhibition view, WIELS, Brussels, 2013
Shkrepëtima - © Mennour
Shkrepëtima, 2019
Exhibition view, Kolnischer Kunstverein, Cologne - © Mennour
Exhibition view, Kolnischer Kunstverein, Cologne, 2015
RU_Egretta cerulea, Limosa limosa - © Mennour
RU_Egretta cerulea, Limosa limosa, 2017
Exhibition view, New Museum, New York - © Mennour
Exhibition view, New Museum, New York, 2017
Shkrepëtima - © Mennour
Shkrepëtima, 2019
Exhibition view, Fondazione Merz, Turin - © Mennour
Exhibition view, Fondazione Merz, Turin, 2017
Poisoned by men in need of some love (Anas platyrhynchos) - © Mennour
Poisoned by men in need of some love (Anas platyrhynchos), 2013
Exhibition view, Venice Biennale - © Mennour
Exhibition view, Venice Biennale, 2017
Shkrepëtima - © Mennour
Shkrepëtima, 2019
Exhibition view, kamel mennour, Paris - © Mennour
Exhibition view, kamel mennour, Paris, 2017
Si Okarina e Runikut 2 - © Mennour
Si Okarina e Runikut 2, 2014
Shkrepëtima - © Mennour
Shkrepëtima, 2019
Exhibition view, kamel mennour, Paris - © Mennour
Exhibition view, kamel mennour, Paris, 2014
Exhibition view, Kolnischer Kunstverein, Cologne - © Mennour
Exhibition view, Kolnischer Kunstverein, Cologne, 2015
Exhibition view, New Museum, New York - © Mennour
Exhibition view, New Museum, New York, 2017
Abetare (A Candle) - © Mennour
Abetare (A Candle), 2015
Exhibition view, kamel mennour, Paris - © Mennour
Exhibition view, kamel mennour, Paris, 2017
Exhibition view, WIELS, Brussels - © Mennour
Exhibition view, WIELS, Brussels, 2013
RU - © Mennour
RU, 2017
Exhibition view, New Museum, New York - © Mennour
Exhibition view, New Museum, New York, 2017
Exhibition view, HangarBicocca, Milan - © Mennour
Exhibition view, HangarBicocca, Milan, 2015
Exhibition view, kamel mennour, Paris - © Mennour
Exhibition view, kamel mennour, Paris, 2017
Exhibition view, WIELS, Brussels - © Mennour
Exhibition view, WIELS, Brussels, 2013
Moth #4 - © Mennour
Moth #4, 2017
Exhibition view, HangarBicocca, Milan - © Mennour
Exhibition view, HangarBicocca, Milan, 2015
Shkrepëtima - © Mennour
Shkrepëtima, 2019
Exhibition view, kamel mennour, Paris - © Mennour
Exhibition view, kamel mennour, Paris, 2017
Abetare (Ronaldo) - © Mennour
Abetare (Ronaldo), 2015
Exhibition view, kamel mennour, London - © Mennour
Exhibition view, kamel mennour, London, 2017
Si Okarina e Runikut - © Mennour
Si Okarina e Runikut, 2014
Do you realise there is a rainbow even if it's night!? (white) - © Mennour
Do you realise there is a rainbow even if it’s night!? (white), 2017
Abetare (Big star with I love u) - © Mennour
Abetare (Big star with I love u), 2015
Abetare (Heart) - © Mennour
Abetare (Heart), 2015
Shkrepëtima - © Mennour
Shkrepëtima, 2019
Exhibition view, HangarBicocca, Milan - © Mennour
Exhibition view, HangarBicocca, Milan, 2015
Exhibition, Kolnischer Kunstverein, Cologne - © Mennour
Exhibition, Kolnischer Kunstverein, Cologne, 2015
Exhibition view, New Museum, New York - © Mennour
Exhibition view, New Museum, New York, 2017
Exhibition view, kamel mennour, Paris - © Mennour
Exhibition view, kamel mennour, Paris, 2014
Exhibition view, Fondazione Merz, Turin - © Mennour
Exhibition view, Fondazione Merz, Turin, 2018
Exhibition view, Kolnischer Kunstverein, Cologne - © Mennour
Exhibition view, Kolnischer Kunstverein, Cologne, 2015
Exhibition view, Bundeskunsthalle, Bonn - © Mennour
Exhibition view, Bundeskunsthalle, Bonn, 2015
Abetare (Flower) - © Mennour
Abetare (Flower), 2017
Exhibition view, WIELS, Brussels - © Mennour
Exhibition view, WIELS, Brussels, 2013
RU_Haematopus ostralegus, Pluvialis squatarola - © Mennour
RU_Haematopus ostralegus, Pluvialis squatarola, 2017
Exhibition view, HangarBicocca, Milan - © Mennour
Exhibition view, HangarBicocca, Milan, 2015
Abetare (Arrow in Heart) - © Mennour
Abetare (Arrow in Heart), 2018
Exhibition view, Berlin Biennale - © Mennour
Exhibition view, Berlin Biennale, 2010
Exhibition view, New Museum, New York - © Mennour
Exhibition view, New Museum, New York, 2017
Shkrepëtima - © Mennour
Shkrepëtima, 2019
Abetare (Eye) - © Mennour
Abetare (Eye), 2017
Exhibition view, NEON, Mykonos - © Mennour
Exhibition view, NEON, Mykonos, 2019
Exhibition view, Fondazione Merz, Turin - © Mennour
Exhibition view, Fondazione Merz, Turin, 2018
RU_Haematopus ostralegus, Pluvialis squatarola 2 - © Mennour
RU_Haematopus ostralegus, Pluvialis squatarola 2, 2017
Exhibition view, Fondazione Merz, Turin - © Mennour
Exhibition view, Fondazione Merz, Turin, 2018
Exhibition view, HangarBicocca, Milan - © Mennour
Exhibition view, HangarBicocca, Milan, 2015
Exhibition view, WIELS, Brussels - © Mennour
Exhibition view, WIELS, Brussels, 2013
Exhibition view, Kolnischer Kunstverein, Cologne - © Mennour
Exhibition view, Kolnischer Kunstverein, Cologne, 2015
Exhibition view, New Museum, New York - © Mennour
Exhibition view, New Museum, New York, 2017
Exhibition view, Palais de Tokyo, Paris - © Mennour
Exhibition view, Palais de Tokyo, Paris, 2018

Exhibitions & News

Petrit Halilaj - NGV Triennial - © Mennour
Petrit Halilaj, NGV Triennial
3 December 2023 — 7 April 2024
NGV International, Melbourne
Petrit Halilaj - Museo Tamayo - © Mennour
Petrit Halilaj, RUNIK
23 November 2023 — 7 April 2024
Museo Tamayo, Mexico City
Petrit Halilaj - Hamburger Bahnhof – Nationalgalerie der Gegenwart - © Mennour
Petrit Halilaj, Alicja Kwade, & Álvaro Urbano, Nationalgalerie: A Collection for the 21st Century
16 June 2023 — 16 June 2024
Hamburger Bahnhof – Nationalgalerie der Gegenwart, Berlin
Claire Fontaine - Weserburg Museum of Modern Art - © Mennour
Hicham Berrada, Claire Fontaine, Petrit Halilaj, Alicja Kwade, The Way We Are
30 September 2023 — 30 August 2026
Weserburg Museum for Modern Art, Bremen
Petrit Halilaj - The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York - © Mennour
Petrit Halilaj, The Roof Garden Commission
30 April — 27 October 2024
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
Petrit Halilaj - Ocean Space - © Mennour
Petrit Halilaj, with Álvaro Urbano and Simone Fattal, Thus waves come in pairs
22 April — 5 November 2023
Ocean Space, Venice
Biennale Internationale Saint-Paul de Vence - © Mennour
Petrit Halilaj, Tadashi Kawamata, Au hasard des oiseaux
3 June — 1 October 2023
Saint-Paul de Vence
Petrit Halilaj & Álvaro Urbano - Bally Foundation - © Mennour
Petrit Halilaj, & Álvaro Urbano, Un Lac Inconnu
20 April — 24 September 2023
Bally Foundation, Lugano
Petrit Halilaj - International Red Cross and Red Crescent Museum - © Mennour
Petrit Halilaj, Very volcanic over this green feather
25 May — 17 September 2023
International Red Cross and Red Crescent Museum, Geneva
Petrit Halilaj - Nobel Peace Center - © Mennour
Petrit Halilaj, & Álvaro Urbano, Forget-me-not
25 August 2023
Nobel Peace Center, Oslo
Hicham Berrada & Petrit Halilaj - Sammlung Philara - © Mennour
Hicham Berrada, Petrit Halilaj, Breathing Water, Drinking Air
12 August 2022 — 25 June 2023
Sammlung Philara, Düsseldorf
Le Salon de musique - © Mennour
Group show, Le Salon de musique
3 February — 18 March 2023
Opening 03 February 2023, 18:00
Mennour, 6 rue du Pont de Lodi, Paris 6
Petrit Halilaj - Fries Museum - © Mennour
Petrit Halilaj, you used to fly, go everywhere and wake up those who are asleep
16 April 2022 — 5 March 2023
Fries Museum, Leeuwarden

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