The Árbol Nexor installation is the continuation of La Ballena va llena (The whale fares full) , a key work by Estrella del Oriente (EDO), a collective of Argentine artists, in which they put forth to developed countries a solution to the problem of migration. Given the restrictive nature of their laws, the collective found a solution: instead of enforcing immigration laws, they recommend the application of art legislation that allows the works to circulate freely and to be protected. EDO proposes a journey on the Ballena ship where migrants become artworks, following Duchamp’s law – acknowledged in the world of art – that extends the notion of artwork to everyday objects. Since the artwork is validated and legitimated by EDO, the migrant has to be admitted and protected by law in those countries. Otherwise, those nations would be in breach of their own legislation. Yet, a new problem arises when immigrants arrive in the chosen country: where to house them. In response to this Árbol Nexor is the continuation of La Ballena to address this new situation. The collective conceives a housing system: the Árbol Nexor, a rhizomatic core where the immigrants-artworks can make contact with the spectators in the museum, a welcoming and protective space. They will present their stories and customs through the special devices of the Árbol. The migrants-artworks will thus be able to recover their primal human form: that of inhabitants, who are understood and fraternally admitted without any mediation by the society they have joined.
