Kosovan artist Petrit Halilaj won the prestigious Nasher Prize 2027, awarded by the Nasher Sculpture Center in Dallas.

The jury praised Halilaj for transforming childhood trauma into playful, poetic, and hopeful works. His art gives voice to memory, culture, and peace.

Founded in 2015, the Nasher Prize honors excellence in contemporary sculpture. The center awards it every two years.

The $100,000 prize places Halilaj among global art leaders, alongside Doris Salcedo, Theaster Gates, and Pierre Huyghe. Media outlets, including The New York Times, covered his achievement.

Halilaj already shines on the international stage. Last year, he created a large-scale installation at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.

He dedicated the prize to Kosovo and the Hajde Foundation. He plans to use the funds to restore the Cultural House in Runik, his hometown.

The Nasher Prize jury stated:

“Halilaj’s work resonates through its deep human engagement. He creates spaces that cross artistic, cultural, and geographic boundaries. The jury recognizes his work as formally innovative and deeply relevant today.”

Born in 1986 in Kostërrc, near Runik, Halilaj creates immersive, fantastical spaces. He blends childhood wonder with personal and political history using sculpture, drawing, text, and performance.

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