As an artist, Spivak rarely puts himself (or his personal histories) into his work, creating exhibitions that are often derived from objective, aesthetic experiences. For this ambitious exhibition he seeks to change this and harness an emotionally-charged personal event to take the lead. Ten Mile Smile is then a direct reference to the artist’s past decade, almost all of which has been here in Melbourne. But in 2023 - only weeks before Spivak’s 30th birthday - the familiar became foreign. Taking such a change and utilising it not only as inspiration, but motivation, he presents a collection of work to reflect in on itself.
For this exhibition, Spivak recreates one of his most well-received pieces - initially conceived during his time studying at Cooper Union in New York City (2013), exhibited first in Vancouver, Canada (2014) and again in Melbourne, Australia (2020). This site-responsive installation is comprised of over 4200 cups - over 4x the size of its last iteration - with each cup signifying the total amount of days in the artist’s late relationship, totalling over 1/3 of his life. Each wall work is framed with the metal workings of this past connection and can be seen as nods to their unborn collaborative projects. By working so closely with physical and symbolic reminders, Spivak has been able to find closure; a sense of peace in knowing the impact his once significant other had on him and his practice. Ten Mile Smile is testament to this.
Time is made visible here in the gallery - through its individually assembled floor installation and the soft tracings of silver that mark the walls. While much of Spivak’s work is inherently based within process, time becomes an undeniable material as he recounts the past decade that led him to this moment. Concepts of organised comfort, the chaos of our inner voices and the simplicities of the everyday have been found in the meandering of his memory. Within these findings, Spivak reaches a consensus of what was, will remain as such. Ten Mile Smile serves as a cathartic act of creation for the artist amidst a very prominent time of change.
About Noah
Noah Spivak studied at the Cooper Union School of Art, New York and received a Bachelor of Fine Art in photography from Emily Carr University of Art and Design, Vancouver (2015). He soon after migrated to Melbourne where he has been an active exhibitor both nationally and internationally.
The artist’s compulsive urge to collect – objects, relationships, meaning – is used to navigate the small phenomena of the reality we inhabit; pulling inspiration not from what our senses have access to, but rather, their limitations and inaccuracies. Creating mixed media installations, Spivak often employs a level of ephemerality into his work as a tool to help remind himself, and by extensions his viewers, that we are in fact a fleeting (and not a forever) moment.
Spivak’s current processes collaborate with the alchemical world, creating temporal artworks that express a deep adoration and understanding for the materials used. His fascination with the invisible and obsession for process-led experimentation culminate in a body of work that explores how we experience visual art and the subconscious decisions we make leading up to this moment.
This exhibition could not have been made possible without the generous support of Tescher & Forge