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Rovay Gallery, The Life of a Portrait, March 2021
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You and I

86cm (W) x 109cm (H)
Acrylic paint, mirror and art resin on shaped panel board

$ 0.00

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Subject:
Rachel Rovay Portrait
Self-portrait bringing the artist and the sitter into one with a revelation of a private diary. A genre linked to artistic identity and experimentation.

Price on Application

Artist Statement

What happens when you leave your own culture behind and have to renegotiate an entirely different one?

‘You and I’ is a self-portrait populated by a multicultural sensibility. My first language growing up in Israel was Romanian. My second language outside my home was Hebrew. My third language, since I migrated to Australia in 1970 (as a teenager), is English and has become my dominant spoken language. I have painted three perspectives, a diverse way of making sense of the world. My multiple identities are not necessarily found in ‘belongingness’ but in negotiating a new formation of reality. The portrait celebrates resilience, changing ‘evolution’ and an interweaving of culture. I have adopted the symbol of the European coat of arms as a shaped structure. The mirror replaces the protective shield and invites the viewer on a journey that is inclusive and helps to preserve whatever is most valid, significant and valuable to form the whole. The Romanian roosters symbolise a soul resurrection. The horned creature on which all rests is the carrier of peace and new perspective. In the top right-hand corner of this portrait I have resurrected my original name in Hebrew letters. The angels appear here as profound communicators and facilitators between us all. The patterns are a reminder of our Australian native heritage.