RACHEL ROVAY EXHIBITIONS

Since 1979, Rovay has participated in 17 solo exhibitions and over 60 group exhibitions including the Sulman Prize and the Dobell prize at the Art Gallery of New South Wales. Rovay’s Sydney art prize exhibitions also include the Mosman Art Prize, Redland Westpac Art Prize and the Portia Geach Memorial Award. In Queensland, Rovay’s work was selected for the Stanthorp Art Prize and the Logan Art Award. Rovay exhibited in group exhibitions overseas at the Monash Prato centre Italy, United Nations conference in Durban South Africa and Tram Studios, Camden Town UK.

Current Rovay Exhibitions

Where Stories Meet series

1 Nov 2026 – 28 Feb 2027

For more than three decades, I have lived in Middle Park, where the surrounding streets, footpaths, nature strips, gardens, and architecture have long inspired me. Through bold colour, I reinterpret familiar urban spaces, transforming them into unexpected forms. My work begins with what I know; however, the relationships between colours shift the familiar into a fresh perspective and reveal the unfamiliar. This is the time when the work begins to evolve.

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Past Rovay Exhibitions

Carpe Diem - Seize the Day

1 May 2026 – 31 Oct 2026

My work reflects on overlooked spaces in the urban landscape as sites where cultural memory, migration, and personal narrative intersect. Working across drawing, collage, and digital media, I am drawn to the symbolic presence of lone trees positioned within the urban nature strip, spaces suspended between public infrastructure and private life. Within these environments, the tree becomes an archetypal presence: a quiet witness to resilience, displacement, endurance, and belonging.

Deep Roots and Sturdy Trunks, Jan 2026

10 Jan 2026 – 28 Feb 2026

The title of this exhibition has a significant personal meaning. Resilience, stability, growth and deep connection. Enduring our challenges and standing firm.

Urban Contours May/December 2024 Jan/June 20225

17 May 2024 – 30 Jun 2025

Part of my art practice involves a non-rectangular painting approach that celebrates perceptual tensions between the internal pictorial structure and its bounding shape. In these works, I delve into real space by overcoming behind-the-frame illusionism.

Urban Contours May/December 2024

17 May 2024 – 9 Jan 2025

Nature Strip and Homeland of the Muse II - A Revisit 2023-2024, April/May 2024

25 Apr 2024 – 16 May 2024

Revisiting two paintings from last year provided the time to incubate new ideas.

Nature Strip and Homeland of the Muse - A Revisit 2023-2024, April 2024

1 Apr 2024 – 25 Apr 2024

Revisiting two paintings from last year provided the time to incubate new ideas.

Take A Seat II, March, 2024 Exhibition

1 Mar 2024 – 31 Mar 2024

Introducing my (cut-out) shaped panel paintings and assemblages, which are informed by colour, shape and object-like quality, taken all the way to the edges.

Take A Seat, February 2024 Exhibition

1 Feb 2024 – 29 Feb 2024

Introducing my (cut-out) shaped panel paintings and assemblages, which are informed by colour, shape and object-like quality, taken all the way to the edges.

221001 In The Centre Grew One Mighty Tree

Stories From The Local Radius - December 23 - January 24

1 Dec 2023 – 31 Jan 2024

As I articulate my identity within the local urban scape, I often focus on our commonplace and shine a light on our local space.

Bound With Grapevine And Tipped With Ivy ‘22-’23

Curatorial Selection - November 2023

1 Nov 2023 – 30 Nov 2023

This month I bring you a selection of paintings and works on paper that create a varied framework around my art practice.

Dancing The Tree - October 2023, Melbourne Fringe Festival

1 Oct 2023 – 31 Oct 2023

Viewed from the footpath, you are invited to experience the award-winning short film ‘Dancing The Tree’ at the Rovay Gallery. This art installation is part of the October, Melbourne Fringe Festival 2023 and includes selected paintings that inspired the film (see Artist Statement and artworks viewed from the McGregor Street footpath).

Nature Strip and Homeland of The Muse - September 2023

1 Sep 2023 – 30 Sep 2023

The urban nature strip is ablaze with saturated colour. As I harvest the urban subject matter, I find that stories help contextualize the world and how we see it.

The Gentleman Of Olympus (Apollo) ‘22-’23

The Space Between - July-August 2023

3 Jul 2023 – 31 Aug 2023

Ancient stories regarding the lives of gods inspire this exhibition’s subject matter. Manipulated sources from antiquity are re-imagined and re-connected to the urban space many of us live in today.

Middle Park Now - Choreography Of Colour, And Everything Else Is Now, Now, Now, May-June 2023

7 May 2023 – 2 Jul 2023

Dance has been a universal aspect of the human experience and is part of our collective DNA. Rachel Rovay is introducing a dance theme to this May exhibition - an alliance between dance, culture, and nature. The artist is the dancer performing live to camera, creating the short film Dancing The Tree, currently in post-production through Hipwell International Production Services.

Middle Park Now - Choreography Of Colour, April 2023

1 Apr 2023 – 6 May 2023

Armed with my mobile plant identifier, walks around my neighbourhood have become particularly educational and have inspired these new works on paper. My focus and interest have been on our Nature Strip spaces and the role these ‘random’ trees play within our urban arena. I have termed these trees our local ‘green lungs’ heroes.

Nourish By The Tree, February-March 2023

1 Feb 2023 – 31 Mar 2023

During my walks with my trusted pocket botanist App, I begin to note and identify what tree I am observing. Armed with the App’s artificial intelligence technology, as an artist, I am presented with a deeper insight into our local nature strip frontier. New inspiration begins.

Postcode 3206 - December 2022 / January 2023

1 Dec 2022 – 31 Jan 2023

For nearly two decades, Artist Rachel Rovay has been inspired by her local urban environment.

Eclectric - November Window Editions 2022

1 Nov 2022 – 30 Nov 2022

Featuring artworks direct from the Rovay Studio.

On The Move, The Place To Be. October 2022

1 Oct 2022 – 31 Oct 2022

John Hipwell, Film producer and Video Artist, has teamed up with Rachel Rovay to hold an exhibition of his video and her artwork at the Rovay Gallery throughout October as part of the Fringe Festival 22.

Space Of Her Own / I Am The Era, September 2022

1 Sep 2022 – 30 Sep 2022

This exhibition will say goodbye to my late friend and walking buddy Dr Helen Light AM who passed away in early August 2022. The intensity of feeling and loss has discharged itself through colour, form and a re-process on canvas.

Mythic Resonance And The Promise Of Tomorrow, August 22

1 Aug 2022 – 31 Aug 2022

The paintings in this exhibition frame the development of a more subtle form of symbolic perception that scaffolds within a local urban setting.

Shifting The Edge, July 2022

1 Jul 2022 – 31 Jul 2022

Shifting the edge and nurturing my local tribe with local art, isn’t just a good thing; it is fulfilling on a personal level.

Wayward Spirit, June 2022 Exhibition

1 Jun 2022 – 30 Jun 2022

Exhibiting Artist Oren Hipwell. The Rovay Gallery is delighted to present Wayward Spirit exhibition by Photographer and Poet Oren Hipwell (Bachelor of Arts, Photography, RMIT University). Oren Hipwell’s poetry dances between the intimate/personal and the universal, leaving much open to interpretation. The image and poetry shape the meaning of the poem even further. The artist asks us to consider: is it the poem that drives our interpretation, or is it the image? When photographs and poems work together, they create a whole new meaning. It's more than a caption or explanation; it's a revelation that adds depth and context to both art forms. Oren Hipwell’s work remains open to interpretation and extends an invitation to a further imaginative engagement.

Together Again - 2πr Artists, May 22

1 May 2022 – 31 May 2022

the 2πr Artists is an all-women artists group (12 artists), that has been exhibiting together since 1999. Many art exhibitions have been held in Melbourne, Regional Galleries in Victoria and overseas at Monash University campus in Prato, Italy. Each exhibition raised awareness for the Ovarian Cancer Research Foundation, helping to improve women’s lives.

Space and Place/Eyes on the Street, April 22

1 Apr 2022 – 30 Apr 2022

How often do we ask ourselves where has the day gone? This exhibition thematically confronts the local urban environment, the everyday and the passing of time. These are moments capturing the urban atmosphere. Eyes on the street as a representation of space and spaces of representation. An interpreted reality of the everyday passes through a colour ‘filter’ and an abstract language system. I turn my focus to presenting the ever-changing views of the streets and the people who inhabit them within the City of Port Phillip where I live. My interest in colour intends to offer the viewer a central role in creating a heightened awareness of what it means to see our sense of place.

Herstory - Second Wave, March 2022

1 Mar 2022 – 31 Mar 2022

This body of work represents the story of the past two decades and a form of collective and personal memory: embryos, umbilical cords, birth, motherhood, relationships. A clue to the materials, symbolism, art form of youth, art and parenthood. A visual history can provide a sense of identity that touches on present-day issues. Can we view the world today with more complete perspectives and better understanding from youth to maturity? The eye can recognise the aesthetics of each work, taking time to see the main essence. Why is history important, and how can it benefit the future?

Urban Realm, February 2022

1 Feb 2022 – 28 Feb 2022

Local patterns bring a sense of the familiar and ask us to convene with our local spaces. Time and imagination are made visible in these artworks through the power of colour. Colour that transports us back to our wonderous urban realm with a new perspective.

Drums Beat the Wings of Her Applause (framed)

Finding Urban Nature, January 2022

1 Jan 2022 – 31 Jan 2022

This exhibition celebrates the local urban nature, ecology, and ecosystem. “Nature in and near cities is critical for maintaining biodiversity, but also for people who depend on the benefits that nature provides. Cities have been described as humanity’s greatest invention, and cities themselves, as centres of innovation, are a critical partner in protecting nature while improving the lives of billions of urban dwellers around the world. “ - Dr Rob McDonald, lead scientist for Global Cities at The Nature Conservancy.

Road Space, December 2021

1 Dec 2021 – 31 Dec 2021

This collection of works explores the relationship between the mode of transport and street space as we know it. The car has come to dominate the urban landscape. Our urban areas have been built around cars, and large spaces were set aside for roads and parking. These monoprints have been inspired by images derived from books that I borrowed from the Albert Park Library. I loved how each car acquired its personality to convey a message through advertising. Inspired by Gauguin’s transfer drawing technique, each monotype is a double-sided work with a drawing on one side (the verso) and block ink and oil pastel transfer on the other ( the recto). Verso: block ink and oil pastel printed as a second layer.

Colour Ground, November 2021 Exhibition

1 Nov 2021 – 30 Nov 2021

This collection of works are painted from observation and memory, where our local urban reality meets the imagination. My ongoing interest in colour and physical qualities of mediums express feelings about the subject rather than simply describing it in a naturalistic manner. I use colour to celebrate its vitality. Contrasts of opposite colours collide within each structure, creating rhythm and much-needed vigour. I am pleased to bring for you ‘Colour Ground’, November Exhibition, a retinal roller coaster ride that radiates with colour, joy and enthusiasm. Enjoy

The Things of Nature And The Nature Of Things, October 2021

1 Oct 2021 – 31 Oct 2021

Until we can open our doors, the Rovay Window Gallery will continue to bring you the joy of colour and new Inspiration to this part of the world. Rachel Rovay presents these intimate paintings to remind us to appreciate the beauty present in Our everyday lives.

Parachute Jump From The Dream, September 2021

1 Sep 2021 – 30 Sep 2021

As we welcome Springtime in Melbourne, I have selected for you earlier artworks from my studio that resonate today through A new perspective.

Reimagine the Local - August 2021

1 Aug 2021 – 31 Aug 2021

What is the fabric that makes up the local? Since our lockdown in March 2020, the pandemic has re-emphasized and created local variations of shared experiences. These works investigate our encounters in the urban space, social contact, and how we create and maintain our relationships.