Miler Lagos: The Merx Tree

EN

With the title, Merx, Latin for “merchandise” and derived from the Roman god Mercury (patron of commerce and communication/divination), Lagos imbues his work with a multi-leveled significance. The reclaimed cardboard evokes global systems of trade and transformation. And the Cieba tree connects the shamanic practice of bridging realms by inserting tobacco leaves into its bark to Duke’s historical entanglement with tobacco as a commodity. In this context, The Merx Tree becomes both a reflection of the global impact of distribution, and a monument to the invisible, often spiritual, networks embedded within it.

The Merx Tree is sponsored by Duke Arts, Office of Climate and Sustainability, Art, Art History and Visual Studies, Center for Documentary Studies (CDS), Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies (CLACS)

Miler Lagos: The Merx Tree