Biography:    

       
Rachel Jessie-Rae O’Connor is a Melbourne based interdisciplinary artist/designer working across fields including community projects, education, illustration and fashion to create colour fuelled socially-conscious projects with a pop fun edge. She has exhibited across Australia, as well as undertaking residencies and workshops at the National Gallery of Victoria, Perth Institute of Contemporary Arts, Matoom Artspace -Thailand, Yarra Youth Services and more. Rachel currently teaches at the Northern College of Arts and Technology in Preston, and makes art from her studio in Brunswick. Rachel acknowledges her studio practice takes place on the stolen lands of the Woi wurrung people of the Wurundjeri and that sovereignty was never ceded.

Solo Exhibitions – Selected

2018    Cozens Street Studio Gallery, Residency Exhbition, Melbourne

2016    Glitter Modern, Rubicon ARI, Melbourne

2014    Heart Break Call Center, Blender Studio Gallery, Blender Studios, Melbourne

2009    Glitter World View, Art Wranglers, Canberra

2007    Glitter Eyes, Art Wranglers, Canberra

Photocopy Nights, tcb art inc., Melbourne

2006    DinoDraw, Art Play, Melbourne. (Co-ordinator and designer)

2005    Technostalgia v.3, Platform Gallery, Melbourne

2003    Technostalgia, Canberra Contemporary Art Space, Manuka.

Invitation and Group Exhibitions

2019    Troublemakers #2, VS. Gallery, Melbourne

The Dressing Room, Babespace, Melbourne

Connections, Melbourne Society of Women Painters and Sculptors, Melbourne

Victoria St, Victoria, The Wandering Room, Brunswick

Festshrift, Canberra School of Art Foyer Gallery, Australian National University

2018    Moreland Summer Show, Counihan Gallery

TAP2018 Community, studioFive, MGSE, University of Melbourne

FAC Open, Frankston Art Centre

A1 Darebin Art Award, Bundoora Homestead

The Exquisite Palette, Tacit Gallery, Melbourne

2017    TAP2017 Making Connections, studioFive, Melbourne Graduate School of Education

The Australia Post Midsumma Art Prize, Fort Delta, Melbourne

2016    CUT, The Dirty Dozen, Campbell Arcade, Melbourne (Co-curated with JordanWood)

2014    Connections, Teacher Art Maker Exhibition, George Paton Gallery, UOM

2012    Crossing Boundaries, The Journey from Artist to Teaching Artist George Paton Gallery,University of Melbourne

Manifestation, Urban Mesh Exhibition, SIGNAL Artspace, Melbourne

Fluoresce Studio Residency, NGV Studio, National Gallery of Victoria

2007    Trouble, Canberra School of Art Gallery

Commissions/Awards/Residencies
2007    Big Draw: Drawing Innovation Award for Dino Draw, Maquarie University
2005    Melbourne City Council Young Artist Grant
2003    The Peter and Lena Karmel Anniversary Award for Art, A.N.U
2002    University Medal, Australian National University
Megalo Print Workshop Emerging Artist Support Scheme Award
Canberra Contemporary Art Space Exhibition and Residency Award
1999    Australian National University Undergraduate Scholarship
1998    National Gallery of Australia Summer School Scholarship