To a Raven and the Hurricanes Which Bring Back Smells of Humans In Love from Unknown Places

Artist Petrit Halilaj/ Museo Reina Sofia

When the world turned upside down this year, and I was fearful of venturing out during and even post lockdown, this summer one artist created a sanctuary, a safe haven and my favorite happy place in the middle of El Retiro Park in Madrid. Artist petrit halilaj transformed madrid’s palacio de cristal into a giant nest of massive flowers and a very human -like birdman. The installation employs a wide variety of elements exploring topics such as home, nation, love and cultural identity. 

The artist’s large flowers are made of a steel framework and painted canvas. their choice forms part of the personal history that binds them together, and its purpose is to celebrate their union: forsythia, palm seeds, cherry blossom, poppy, carnation, and lily. The artist who is from Kosovo said  “I wanted to conceive Palacio de Cristal as a place for the celebration of love.” . From the museum’s release:

There is something strange and disproportionate about the size of this nest, the gigantic scale of its flowers, and the comfort and centrality it offers the birds. The artist thus suspends the logo-centric perspective that makes us believe we are the center and measure of all things, encouraging us to recognize ourselves as just one more element among many. The nest is thus revealed as the setting for a ritual that lies in wait for encounters, alliances and unions among its different visitors, altering and changing with the space.