Described as an “icon of monumental public art” by The List, Turner Prize-nominated Scottish sculptor David Mach RA is bringing Materialism and Mach, an exciting new solo exhibition, to Anise Gallery, a beautiful 19th–century Zionist chapel turned art space in Forest Hill.

The exhibition features The Thief, a 9-foot tall figure constructed from hundreds of coat hangers.

Crucified, stretched, seemingly in agony, it casts its shadow over the exhibition. Imposing and daring, the sculpture emanates a strong sense of pain and suffering, which conflicts with its aesthetic beauty.

The Thief was originally showcased as one of the three thieves from Golgotha—David’s shocking, seminal 2016 sculpture installed in the 14th-century walls of Chester Cathedral.

The figure is now completely recontextualized, going rogue to be exhibited on its own in London for the first time.

In addition, David will be presenting an innovative VR reimagining of his landmark, The Destruction of Jericho collage, where he will be inviting visitors to sit inside a car David has parked in the gallery before putting on headsets for an immersive VR art experience.

Alongside The Thief and The Destruction of Jericho are a selection of David’s striking, large-scale collages.

For four decades David Mach has been one of the UK’s most successful, revered artists. He uses matchsticks, magazines, shipping containers, coat hangers, tyres, teddy bears and many other found materials to create unforgettable sculptures, installations, and collages.

David has created installations in nightclubs, parks, a brothel, swimming pools, moving tube trains, and in the ashtray of a Hillman Imp car – reportedly belonging to Jarvis Cocker. David’s smaller-scale sculptures, made from matchsticks and magazines, are often burnt by the artist as performance art.

In 1983, he made a dramatic debut in public art by protesting the nuclear arms race, which was so controversial that a public member tried to burn it down.

Since then, he has created iconic public sculptures like Out of Order, his 1989 tumbling telephone box installation in Kingston-Upon-Thames, Train, a homage to the world’s first public steam railway in Darlington, and Big Heids, which is a freight container tribute to Lanarkshire’s steel industry. David was elected a Royal Academy member in 1998.

Materialism and Mach opens at the new Anise Gallery. After ten successful years at Shad Thames, the gallery has now relocated to Forest Hill.

Exhibition Details:
Opening Night – 13 June 6-9 pm
The exhibition continues until 6 July 2024
Where: Anise Gallery, Forest Hill, London SE23