Rachel ROVAY
Born in Jerusalem, Israel, 1955
Rachel Rovay immigrated to Australia in 1970. She gained a Diploma of design and Fine Art from Monash University and a Diploma of Education from Melbourne University. Since her first show in 1979 Rachel has held sixteen solo exhibitions and participated in numerous group exhibitions, including the Sulman Prize and the Dobell Prize for Drawing. Rachel's works are held in numerous public and private collections including Macquarie University, State Library of Victoria, The Jewish Museum of Australia and Monash Medical Centre.
Rovay's domain is the hitherto un-pictured corner of a contemporary inner-Melbourne street. Rachel focuses on the ever-changing views in the gentrified suburbs of a middle-class cafe society. While unpeopled - even the driverless taxis and buses are empty - her vignettes are as busy as John Brack's celebrated city thoroughfare. People are fleeting and faceless, so identifying themselves less as individuals than anonymous representatives of their community, perhaps commenting on the brief, hurried and often impersonal interactions of 21st century life.
