In Albanian, Shkrepëtima means flash, lightning bolt or a sudden and intense feeling. Shkrepëtima was also the name of a cultural magazine published in the 70s and ‘80s in Runik, the village in Kosovo where Petrit Halilaj grew up. On the occasion of this year’s Mario Merz Prize, Halilaj created a project that functions as a spark, a Shkrepëtima. Through video, drawings and sculptures, Halilaj explores national identity, questions geographic boundaries and asks how collective history is shaped. Petrit Halilaj is the winner of the 2nd edition of the Mario Merz Prize, an international biennial award established by the Fondazione Merz in Turin.