My artworks explore the interwoven themes of belonging, place, and loss by examining the impact of systemic inequities on identity, memory, and community. Drawing from personal archives, cultural histories, and lived experiences, my practice interrogates the fragility of connections to place and the erosion of cultural identity, particularly within marginalized communities. Through materials, I examine how displacement, environmental degradation, and systemic exclusion disrupt relationships with home, heritage, and collective memory. My work reflects on the ways climate change and environmental injustice disproportionately affect minority communities, exacerbating cycles of loss and disconnection. By addressing themes such as fading memories, erasure of historical neighborhoods, and the dissolution of community ties, I emphasize the intersection of environmental and social issues, underscoring the vulnerability of places imbued with cultural and personal significance. Through pixelated imagery and abstracted representations, my art dismantles conventional markers of identity, inviting viewers to consider the universality of human experience amidst these challenges. This approach reclaims narratives often overshadowed by dominant discourses, centering the voices and histories of those most affected by environmental and social upheaval. Ultimately, my work seeks to foster a deeper understanding of belonging as a dynamic and collective process, shaped by the interplay of personal, cultural, and environmental forces. By exposing these connections, I aim to inspire critical reflection on the ways we preserve and reimagine our shared relationship with place, identity, and the natural world.

-Michael Coppage (ko-paj)