Petrit Halilaj

This large-scale solo exhibition of Kosovar artist Petrit Halilaj (b. 1986 in Kostërrc) overlaps with and is connected to the artist’s participation in the fi rst Pavilion of the Republic of Kosovo at the Venice Biennale. From the start of the young artist’s practice, his use of commonplace materials and childhood memories of war and displacement have come together in complex installations that strive to understand what notions like ‘home’, ‘nation’ and ‘cultural identity’ could mean. Halilaj’s frequent combinations of earth, rubble, wood slats, live chickens and intricate drawings evoke the intimately personal and the utopian or fi ctional, all while revealing the inevitable realities of a far wider socio-political sphere. The show at WIELS will feature a site-specifi c project created for the occasion, as well as a selection of existing works that help provide the context for Halilaj’s practice and thinking.

Curator: Elena Filipovic