Petrit Halilaj – A Opera Out of Time

For his exhibition at Hamburger Bahnhof 'An Opera Out of Time', Petrit Halilaj has developed an opera in collaboration with the Kosovo Philharmonic, founded after the end of the Kosovo War in 2000, which is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year. The starting point is the legendary site of Syrigana, a three-thousand-year-old village near Petrit Halilaj’s hometown of Runik. Since 2016, it has been protected as an archaeological site of prehistory, late antiquity, and the Middle Ages. The opera with the same title as the village, had its premiere on June 29 in Syrigana. The elements of the opera are reconfigured within a site-specific installation at Hamburger Bahnhof.

Additionally, the exhibition will feature five other large-scale installations drawn from periods in the artist’s work, offering an insight into his practice as a whole.

The exhibition is curated by Catherine Nichols.