Là où les eaux se mêlent
15th Biennale de Lyon, Lyon
17 September 2019 – 5 January 2020

For the 15th Lyon Biennial, Petrit Halilaj presented his installation, Shkrepëtima.
 The works were developed for the second edition of the Mario Merz Prize and exhibited for the first time at the Merz Foundation, Turin, in 2018, curated by Leonardo Bigazzi.

This series consists of sculptures and monumental installations that recontextualize the costumes and stage props of a theatrical performance which took place a few months earlier inside the exhibition space.

Created and directed by Petrit Halilaj, the play involved over 100 Kosovarian actors, musicians and villagers and was presented in front of the ruins of the House of Culture in Runik (Skenderaj). His first major intervention in a public space, the play featured moving sculptures, sounds and an exceptional scenography created by Halilaj from the ruins of the building and inspired by the collective memory of Runik citizens. Shkrepëtima brings back fragments from some of the most prominent Albanian plays that were performed in the theater in the 80s.

As a result of the project, the House of Runik was elected for restoration and conservation by local authorities.