Installation view, Petrit Halilaj & Álvaro Urbano: Lunar Ensamble for Uprising Seas, Ocean Space, Venice, 2023. Photo: Gerda Studio.
In the west wing of the San Lorenzo Church, Berlin-based artists Petrit Halilaj and Álvaro Urbano, present a new installation titled “Lunar Ensemble for Uprising Seas”. This is an evolving ecosystem comprising over 40 large-scale sculptures of hybrid aquatic, terrestrial, and aerial creatures, set beneath an egg-shaped moon that appears to have the same materiality as the walls of the former church. It is a co-commission between TBA21–Academy and Audemars Piguet Contemporary and highlights the two programs’ parallel missions: to support artists in research and artistic production, which encourages dialogue and imaginative thinking for a global audience.
“Lunar Ensemble for Uprising Seas”is inspired by a popular song in Spain titled “Ay mi pescadito”, where young fish go to school at the bottom of the sea to study forms of survival and belonging. The artists have created an installation which explores cohesion as well as resistance or disharmony between different species, or between living organisms and objects. The sculptures range in scale and shape, with no creature being realistic to this world. All are in a state of evolution with a mix of features for survival underwater, on land as well as in the sky. The sculptures’ metallic skins reflect the sunlight onto the church’s walls, ceilings, and floors, modifying the perception of the space over the day. All the sculptures double as musical instruments, producing sounds from music boxes and other DIY techniques, however only human interaction makes them come to life with sound. Together, they attempt a “melody” inspired by the song “Ay mi pescadito” and under-water noises, which do not easily harmonize. The difficulty in achieving a perfect melody mirrors the complexity of creating perfect synchrony in the material world.
Above the creatures, a large egg-shaped sculpture hangs from the ceiling and seems to be floating in the space. The egg is covered with chalky material that resembles the walls of the building. Its materiality symbolizes how everything can be reused and transformed as part of the cyclical nature of our world. It evokes possibilities of alternative future forms of life, transformation, and parenthood to be reimagined in order to break the notion of fixed or stable “natural” identities that in human societies results in systemic discrimination of queer individuals and families.
Throughout the exhibition run, a cast of musicians and performers will activate the installation at varying durations and intervals. In between performances, gull costumes, which Halilaj and Urbano will wear for two appearances, will be situated within the exhibition, welcoming visitors to the space as sculptures. They represent creatures from the Venice lagoon observing the evolving ecosystem from above. It is the gulls which coordinate the shared performance, bringing the collective action of the creatures together. Halilaj and Urbano worked closely with the curatorial team at Audemars Piguet Contemporary and Casavecchia to develop the creation of the co-commissioned installation. The duo shares a life together in Berlin yet typically maintain separate practices. This project is a unique opportunity to see the artists’ work together on a large-scale installation. Like previous works, this installation explores and negotiates the space between two realities: the human and the natural world. Both of their practices imbue personal, playful elements that work to ask questions of societal norms.
Installation view, Petrit Halilaj & Álvaro Urbano: Lunar Ensamble for Uprising Seas, Ocean Space, Venice, 2023. Photo: Gerda Studio.
Installation view, Petrit Halilaj & Álvaro Urbano: Lunar Ensamble for Uprising Seas, Ocean Space, Venice, 2023. Photo: Gerda Studio.
Installation view, Petrit Halilaj & Álvaro Urbano: Lunar Ensamble for Uprising Seas, Ocean Space, Venice, 2023. Photo: Gerda Studio.
Installation view, Petrit Halilaj & Álvaro Urbano: Lunar Ensamble for Uprising Seas, Ocean Space, Venice, 2023. Photo: Gerda Studio.
Installation view, Petrit Halilaj & Álvaro Urbano: Lunar Ensamble for Uprising Seas, Ocean Space, Venice, 2023. Photo: Gerda Studio.
Installation view, Petrit Halilaj & Álvaro Urbano: Lunar Ensamble for Uprising Seas, Ocean Space, Venice, 2023. Photo: Gerda Studio.
Performance view, Petrit Halilaj & Álvaro Urbano: Lunar Ensamble for Uprising Seas, Ocean Space, Venice, 2023. Photo: Gerda Studio.
Performance view, Petrit Halilaj & Álvaro Urbano: Lunar Ensamble for Uprising Seas, Ocean Space, Venice, 2023. Photo: Gerda Studio.
Performance view, Petrit Halilaj & Álvaro Urbano: Lunar Ensamble for Uprising Seas, Ocean Space, Venice, 2023. Photo: Gerda Studio.
Performance view, Petrit Halilaj & Álvaro Urbano: Lunar Ensamble for Uprising Seas, Ocean Space, Venice, 2023. Photo: Gerda Studio.
Performance view, Petrit Halilaj & Álvaro Urbano: Lunar Ensamble for Uprising Seas, Ocean Space, Venice, 2023. Photo: Gerda Studio.
Performance view, Petrit Halilaj & Álvaro Urbano: Lunar Ensamble for Uprising Seas, Ocean Space, Venice, 2023. Photo: Gerda Studio.
Performance view, Petrit Halilaj & Álvaro Urbano: Lunar Ensamble for Uprising Seas, Ocean Space, Venice, 2023. Photo: Gerda Studio.