The Page Gallery is presenting a solo exhibition titled 《Abetare (Loja me Topa: Playing Ball)》 by Kosovo-born artist Petrit Halilaj (b. 1986). This exhibition offers a profound exploration of Halilaj’s unique artistic world, focusing on his experiences of war and displacement as a child, and how these experiences are reflected through the lens of imagination and fear.

Halilaj, who currently works between Kosovo, Berlin, and Italy, is known for his ability to reimagine the traumatic experiences of the Balkan Wars through the perspective of a child. His works, which include spectacular cut-piece installations and site-specific art, invite the audience into a space where dreams and imagination take precedence.

The exhibition’s title, ‘Abetare,’ refers to an Albanian alphabet textbook used by Kosovar children. In the mid-1990s, as Serbian oppression against the Albanian community intensified, Abetare became a symbolic book representing the preservation of Albanian cultural traditions. Halilaj, who spent his childhood in Kosovo from 1992 to 1997, was forced to flee to a refugee camp with his family in 1997 due to the outbreak of the Kosovo War. During this time, he participated in drawing programs aimed at providing psychological support to children, which led to early recognition of his ability to express the fears of war through the eyes of a child.

In 2012, Halilaj returned to his hometown of Runik and discovered an old school building that was about to be demolished. Inside, he found green desks and benches that had been used by generations of students since the 1970s. These desks contained secret fantasies and various linguistic records left by the children over the years. Halilaj collected these private records and transformed them into new drawings, sculptures, and installation works.

The works presented in this exhibition are part of Halilaj’s ongoing ‘Abetare’ project, specifically the series titled ‘Loja me Topa (Playing Ball).’ This series was inspired by the drawings left on the green desks of Shotë Galicia Elementary School in Runik. The series features an 11-member soccer team, composed of figures ranging from actual players to a snowman and an animated character, each representing a humorous array of human emotions. These characters come to life in the gallery space, engaging in a dynamic game of ball, symbolizing Halilaj’s reflections on life, imagination, hope, fears, and dreams rooted in his childhood.

After graduating from the Brera Academy of Fine Arts in Milan, Halilaj made his international debut at the Berlin Biennale in 2010. His work quickly gained recognition, leading to his selection as Kosovo’s representative artist at the 2013 Venice Biennale. In 2017, he won the Mario Merz Prize and received a Special Mention Award at the 57th Venice Biennale.

Since then, Halilaj has held numerous solo exhibitions at prestigious institutions such as Tate St. Ives and the New Museum in New York. His work continues to captivate audiences worldwide with its depth and emotional resonance.

This year, Halilaj was selected for the Roof Garden Commission at the Metropolitan Museum in New York. His work 《Petrit Halilaj, Abetare》 is on display there from April to October. Currently, Halilaj is a professor at the Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts de Paris, where he continues to explore new artistic horizons, further enriching his already impressive career.

Sayart / Nao Yim, yimnao@naver.com