Petrit Halilaj

The Fries Museum presents Petrit Halilaj's first exhibition in the Netherlands. With installations, drawings and videos, Halilaj (1986 Kostërrc, Kosovo) explores themes such as cultural identity, nationality and heritage. His biography is often the starting point for his work. Birds and other animals appear repeatedly in the work, usually as metaphors for transformation. For example, in large-scale installations where moth costumes and bird-like sculptures can be seen. Ru (2017) and Shkrepëtima (2018), two of his most renowned, monumental projects, can be experienced in Leeuwarden from the spring of 2022. In his solo exhibition at the Fries Museum, Halilaj interweaves reality and imagination in installations that highlight the role of art and cultural heritage within a community.

Kosovo War
Halilaj's work is closely linked to the recent history of Kosovo and the political and cultural tensions in the region. His work arises from intimate, personal experiences, but at the same time touches on broader, social topics such as freedom and identity, the (re)appreciation of private and public stories and recognition of LGBTQI+. His most recent project is an adaptation of 38 children's drawings he made at the age of 13 in the Kukës II refugee camp (Albania) during the Kosovo War (1998-99). The exhibition is currently on display at Tate St Ives (UK) until January 16, 2022.

Venice Biennale
Petrit Halilaj lives and works in Germany, Kosovo and Italy. His work has previously been featured in solo exhibitions at Museo Reina Sofía, Madrid; New Museum, New York City; the Fondazione Merz, Turin; Hammer Museum, Los Angeles; Hangar Bicocca, Milan; Kölnischer Kunstverein, Cologne; Bundeskunsthalle, Bonn; and WIELS, Brussels. Halilaj was the first artist to represent Kosovo at the 55th Venice Biennale in 2013.

Since 2020 he is Studio Professor at l'École nationale supérieure des Beaux-Arts, Paris, France.