27th of March 2012 (Forsythia)

These monumentally scaled reproductions of yellow forsythia flowers were included in Petrit Halilaj’s immersive installation To　a raven and the hurricanes that from unknown places bring back smells of humans in love　(2020). An artificial garden arranged inside the Crystal Palace (a venue of the Reina Sofía Museum, located at the heart of Madrid’s Retiro Park), the installation was conceived as the ideal setting for Halilaj to marry his partner and sometime artistic collaborator, Álvaro Urbano. Halilaj transformed the Crystal Palace into a giant birds’ nest, inspired by the courtship ritual of bowerbirds, which make elaborate structures decorated with colorful objects to attract a mate. To decorate the nest, Halilaj conjured some of the flowers that he and Urbano had exchanged over the years including forsythia, palm seeds, cherry blossoms, poppies, carnations, and lilies. Produced collaboratively by the couple to celebrate their union, these large-scale works are comprised of painted canvas mounted on delicate steel scaffolding.

Halilaj and Urbano’s collaborative practice is often autobiographical in nature, exploring personal experiences, queer identity, and concepts of home. Their sculptural installations become stage sets that invite visitors to participate. As Halilaj once said, they "give us an opportunity to try to alter the course of personal and collective histories. They create complex worlds that claim space for freedom, desire, intimacy, and identity."　[1]

[1] The artist quoted in David Breslin and Iria Candela, The Roof Garden Commission: Petrit Halilaj. Abetare. Exh. cat., The Metropolitan Museum of Art. New York, 2024, p. 28.