The Biography of a Building follows artist Petrit Halilaj’s sustained engagement with his hometown of Runik, Kosovo, through his ongoing project, Hajde! Foundation, which he established to support local culture and bring his village's House of Culture back into collective life.  

For years, the House of Culture was the social and cultural heart of the village, hosting theater performances, concerts, celebrations, public meetings, and everyday encounters. However, its activities were curtailed by the censorship and repression of the Milošević regime in the late 1980s and early 1990s, and the building was subsequently impacted by the violence of the Kosovo War. 

In New York, the exhibition traces the “biography” of Runik’s House of Culture through archival materials, oral histories, and documentation of its ongoing transformation. Following an international architectural competition organized by the Hajde! Foundation, Kosovo–based architecture practice Ars Atelie was selected to lead the restoration of the building.

In Runik, a simultaneous exhibition space and Welcome Center invites local residents to learn about the House of Culture’s history and to consider how its renewed life might support collective activity. 

On the occasion of the exhibition, Petrit Halilaj has created a unique work, Here to Remind You (Runik), 2026, which incorporates bricks from the former House of Culture in Runik. Proceeds from its sale will directly support the Hajde! Foundation and its ongoing work.

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+ about Petrit Halilaj

+ about the exhibition