RUNIKCurated by José Esparza Chong CuyMuseo Tamayo, Mexico City23 November 2023 – 7 April 2024

Through drawing, sculptures, costumes, and installations, Petrit Halilaj’s (b. 1986) migratory creatures gather around a scaled floating structure of the house he and his family built in the country’s capital of Pristina after their old home in Runik was destroyed during the bombings of the Kosovo War. As part of the exhibition, Halilaj has also inscribed a large scale chicken—a bird famously known as one of the few unable to fly—onto a Boeing 737 aircraft operated by Aeroméxico. Both the architectural rendition of his family home and the airplane serve as vessels for Halilaj’s memories of belonging and dreams of migration.

Petrit Halilaj: RUNIK is the artist’s first solo exhibition in Latin America, showcasing how art has not only been his vehicle to travel and learn about the world, but also a medium through which he can explore and express complicated emotions about the history of his homeland and his identity. Now living in Berlin but with strong roots in Kosovo and close ties to several places around the world, Halilaj’s understanding of home is anchored in bonds of affection.

Petrit Halilaj, Installation view of RUNIK, Curated by José Esparza Chong Choi, Museo Tamayo, Mexico City, 2023 – 2024

Petrit Halilaj, Works from the series They are Lucky to be Bourgeois Hens, 2023; Installation view of RUNIK, Curated by José Esparza Chong Choi, Museo Tamayo, Mexico City, 2023 – 2024; Pencil on paper, wood; Variable dimensions

Petrit Halilaj, The places I’m looking for, my dear, are utopian places, they are boring and I don’t know how to make them real, 2010; Installation views of RUNIK, Curated by José Esparza Chong Choi, Museo Tamayo, Mexico City, 2023 – 2024; Wood, iron, various materials; Variable dimensions

Petrit Halilaj, Untitled (For Felix); Installation view of RUNIK, Curated by José Esparza Chong Choi, Museo Tamayo, Mexico City, 2023 – 2024; Feathers of a pillow previously belonging to a loved one; Dimensions variable

Petrit Halilaj, works from the series Very volcanic over this green feather, 2021; Installation view of RUNIK, Curated by José Esparza Chong Choi, Museo Tamayo, Mexico City, 2023 – 2024; UV printed felt, thread and metal pipe; 260 × 340 × 25 cm

Petrit Halilaj, Kur dielli të ikë do ta pikturoj qiellin (When the sun goes away we paint the sky), 2022; Installation view of RUNIK, Curated by José Esparza Chong Choi, Museo Tamayo, Mexico City, 2023 – 2024; Powder-coated stainless steel, plexiglas, LED, DMX controller x x; Variable dimensions

Photos by Gerardo Landa and Eduardo López (GLR Estudio)