Petrit Halilaj
(1986)
Ahí espero infinitamente…, 2013
Cabinet from the Museum of Natural History of Kosovo, duck sculpture made of soil, excrement, glue, iron. Prints and drawings on inventory cards from the Museum of Natural History of Kosovo
Furniture: 184 x 116 x 50 cm
Duck: 55 x 71 x 29 cm
Each paper: 30 x 30 cm
Each panel: 90 x 90 cm
Petrit Halilaj takes his own biography and his country’s recent history as a point of departure to reflect on memory and history. Working primarily in sculpture and using materials such as earth, straw, wood, concrete and stones, the artist explores the political and cultural tensions in Southeast Europe, especially around the Kosovo War (1998-1999), and how they have come to shape notions of identity, nationhood and home. For There I wait infinitely…, Halilaj used archival material from the Natural History Museum in Pristina, which was torn and converted into an ethnographic museum more attuned to nationalistic narratives. Historical documents, photographs, stuffed animals and other specimens he found in the museum’s storage serve as reference for this installation.