The archive represents two decades of visual art interpreting themes of migration: migration for family reunion, the migration of asylum seekers and a personal migration for work as a single continuous body of work.
The Migration Series (1992-2002)
The Migration Series (1992-2002) began with the artist’s discovery of his Cuban, Lebanese grandmother’s personal diary written on her arrival in Melbourne from Cuba in 1911, and a postcard and poetry album made in Cuba. Copland decided to retrace her migratory journey through retrace her journey exhibitions in sociological museums and galleries in Cuba, New Zealand, Slovakia, Australia and Lebanon.
Raft - The Drifting Border (2004-2020)
Raft-The Drifting Border (2004-2020) is a series of sculptures, paintings, artist books and prints interpreting the darker side of migration and refugees seeking asylum globally. The series developed as a protest, a letter, a plea and a visual reminder of the need for empathy.
Transit (2007-2014)
Transit (2007-2014) is a series of artworks developed from teaching in the Persian Gulf that interprets the symbolic and subjective aspects of identities in transit in a globalised world. The series of sketchbooks, photography, paintings, film and artist book installations investigate the poetic and phenomenological aspects of living in the Persian Gulf.
