David Mach RA (b.1956), Scottish

“This is another painting by Joe Hendry exploring the theme of the kilted Scottish figure. The man is shown from behind, hands clasped behind his back, standing quite calmly on the canvas.

What I like about this one is its simplicity. There’s nothing complicated about it — just a figure, a kilt, and a quiet bit of attitude. Hendry manages to make something very Scottish feel fresh and contemporary at the same time.”

David Mach RA (born 18 March 1956) is a Scottish sculptor and installation artist known internationally for large-scale works constructed from everyday mass-produced materials. He was born in Methil, Fife, and studied sculpture at Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art in Dundee from 1974 to 1979, before completing postgraduate studies at the Royal College of Art in London (1979–1982).

Mach first gained widespread attention in the early 1980s with ambitious installations assembled from thousands of objects. One early example was “Polaris” (1983), a life-size submarine constructed from thousands of car tyres and exhibited on London’s South Bank.  His work frequently uses materials such as magazines, coat hangers, tyres, newspapers and matchsticks, arranged to create dynamic sculptural forms or large collage works.

Among his best-known public sculptures are “Out of Order” (1989) — a sequence of red telephone boxes appearing to topple over in Kingston upon Thames — and “Big Heids” (1999), a group of monumental heads visible from the M8 motorway between Glasgow and Edinburgh.

Mach was nominated for the Turner Prize in 1988 and later elected a Royal Academician in 1998. In 2000 he was appointed Professor of Sculpture at the Royal Academy Schools in London.  His work has been exhibited internationally and is represented in major collections and public commissions worldwide.

Today, David Mach remains one of the most prominent contemporary sculptors associated with Scotland, known for visually dramatic works that transform everyday materials into large-scale sculptures and installations.