Petrit Halilaj's - Palacio de Cristal - Retiro.

Petrit Halilaj's \1986\  is a Kosovian artist based in Madrid whose biographical work attempts to unfold what life has thrown at him. The setting in the Palacio de Cristal \ The Glass Palace \ seems most appropriate for his installation - A crow and hurricanes that, from unknown places, bring back smells of humans in love  2020. 

The work is complex and surreal and cannot be understood without research into the artist and the myriad of symbolisms in project that took two years to complete. It is without doubt a very challenging space whose elegant and intricate iron work  and design draws me into the space and the exhibitions I have seen there in the past have struggled to grab my attention or dominate the interior. 

In order to get attention in such an already crowded space I guess the artist decided on these enormous flowers that look down on the viewer from up high and reminded me of a kingfisher hovering and suckling. But it might also be because we have an 11 month old baby at home whose breastfeeding. But definitely there's a feeling of home and mothering, with  birds flying around and nesting in doors. 

I have to go back when there are less people, ideally practically nobody because I think what hits your first is size a scale but this has little to do with the installation and I thought it would work better if the flowers  were smaller. I read that the artist is gay but I didn't see how that was reflected in the work specifically but the reviews seem to mention it a lot. The birdman figure echoed of Rebecca Horn and a sense of the mystical and a  need to connect naturally to some place . 

The birdman is a beautifully crafted sculpture that makes the hairs stand up on your neck  appropriately translated as the skin of a cockrel in spanish. Well that's the effect it had on me. For a moment I thought it was real person and my mind swopped back a forth from this and I was intrigued to know more about the artist and the work. 

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