Si bishri I Arnautëve / Like the tail of Arnauts, 2026

Brass, hair extensions, wood, glue
Overall: 161 × 209 × 30 cm

Si Bishti i Arnautëve (Like the Tail of the Arnauts) is a series of sculptures by Petrit Halilaj, originally conceived for his 2026 solo exhibition at ChertLüdde. The works simultaneously reappropriate and queer the discriminatory tropes historically directed at Albanians, particularly those in Kosovo, transforming hateful narratives into elegant and evocative sculptural forms.

“Arnautëve,” or “Arnauts,” is a derogatory exonym employed within Serbian nationalist discourse to refer to Albanians. Here, this label takes center stage in sculptures whose forms echo the dehumanising descriptions of Albanians as an animal-like people, depicted as having tails and living in trees. Far from being merely a narrative circulating in isolated extremist circles, these descriptions were widely repeated and even recorded in writing in1913 by the then Serbian Prime Minister Vladan Đorđević in his book The Albanians and the Great Powers. This history informs both the sculptures’ visual language and their spatial presence.

The title also refers to Halilaj’s earlier series Si Okarina e Runikut, with which these works share their flowing forms and use of brass. While the earlier series focused on the history and cultural heritage of the artist’s village, Si Bishti i Arnautëve shifts its focus toward reclaiming, while simultaneously exposing and condemning, a long and still unresolved history of dehumanisation, violence, and ethnic conflict.

Photo by Marjorie Brunet Plaza