Genny Petrotta
Resident 1
Residency period January - March
Residency focus

Biography

Genny Petrotta was born in 1990, in Italy. She lives and works in Palermo. Her work centers on the poetic reinterpretation of history and minority narratives, with a particular focus on her italien arbëreshë cultural heritage. Favoring video installation and performance as her primary media, Petrotta employs a cinematic process of project construction, writing, and filming.   Her work has been exhibited in various institutions, including Fondazione Studio Rizoma (Italy, 2024), Autostrada Biennale, (Kosovo, 2023-2024), Fondazione Sandretto Re Rebaudengo, (Italy, 2024), Postane, (Turkey, 2023) and Manifesta 12 (Italy, 2018). Since 2016, she has been a member of the artistic collective Il Pavone.

Project

Hak (revenge)

“Hak (revenge)” project explores the complex history and social dynamics of the Burrnesha, socially recognized female-to-male cross-dressers from Albania and Kosovo. Using a multidisciplinary approach, the project engages the Burrnesha community through participatory methods, with Shakespeare’s “Hamlet” serving as a poetic framework for dialogue and exploration. Genny Petrotta’s early fascination with the Burrnesha was sparked by discovering their role in the Kanun, a customary code that governs traditional Albanian norms.

As part of her identity research, she aims to reimagine “Hamlet” through their experiences, intertwining Shakespeare’s narrative with the personal stories of the Burrnesha, which are often misrepresented by Western media.