Sculptor Petrit Halilaj is the 2025 recipient of the prestigious Nasher Prize, becoming the youngest ever to do so.
The Nasher Prize comes with a $100,000 purse, along with opportunities for programming and exhibition. It has not been announced when Halilaj will have the opportunity to be exhibited. However, the sculptor has already announced his intentions about the prize money. In a rather surprising move, Petrit Halilaj announced that he would donate the entire amount to the Hajde! Foundation, a non-profit for the promotion of Kosovar artists that he and his sister founded in 2014.
Born in Kosovo in 1986, Petrit Halilaj is known for sculptures and installations that explore the history and culture of his homeland – particularly the Kosovo War of the 1990s. He has been exhibited at the 2010 Berlin Biennale, 2010 Lyon Biennale, and 2024 Sydney Biennale. He has also represented Kosovo at the 2013 Venice Biennale and won a jury’s special mention at the 2017 Venice Biennale. He has had solo exhibitions at half a dozen museums, including the Hammer Museum in 2018. Last year, he was part of the rooftop installations at the Museum of Modern Art, and is currently having a solo exhibition at the Hamburger Bahnhof in Berlin.
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In a statement released after the announcement, Petrit Halilaj said: “I am deeply humbled by the recognition and generous gift of the Nasher Prize, which I am proud to dedicate in its entirety to Hajde! Foundation. While my practice is continually shaped by my personal history rooted in Kosovo, the mission of Hajde! is to create possibilities for art to resonate both locally and beyond. This gift will help ensure that spaces for imagining, creating, and dreaming beyond the limits of one’s own place can flourish.” He was selected by an eight-person jury, including the 2022 Nasher prize winner _Nairy Baghramian.
