Known for his love of diverse materials in his practise, David Mach states:

‘I do regard myself as a materials junkie. There’s hardly anything I haven’t used to make sculpture and in considerable amounts - 100’s of tonnes of newspapers and magazines, millions of pins, racks, nails, screws and thousands of tyres. ‘

More recently however, Mach has turned his attention to the more traditional materials of bronze and steel within his work.

Last year, his plans to construct a building made entirely from shipping containers for an Edinburgh Park development were unveiled and met with rave reviews and anticipation. So, with something in steel in the pipeline, it was only a matter of time before he turned to the material he has been wrestling with for years; bronze.

Although no stranger to creating public works, such as ‘Heids’; three monumental heads which survey the stretch of M8 between Edinburgh and Glasgow, and ‘It Takes Two’; two monumental sumo wrestlers carrying a shipping container, Mach has turned to one of his most iconic works, his monumental Darlington Brick ‘Train’ - a 29 metres long (95ft) and 7 metres high and crafted from 185,000 Accrington Nori bricks - for inspiration for his latest venture.

Mach’s new work ‘Train’ although smaller than its namesake is by no means less impactful.

Moulded from his original Darlington working maquette, which Mach crafted using thousands of individual bricks of balsa wood glued in place, Mach decided to cast the maquette with Pangolin Editions to have a lasting record of this important commission after making some adjustments to the original model.

Of the original Train commission Mach recalls:

‘It was so exciting working on Train which was really a building sized sculpture and one I hoped would gain like the Mallard a national identity. I learned a lot on that project working with so many different teams, architects, surveyors, bricklayers even mortar specialists. There was a considerable amount of detail to go into, not just in the sculpture’s building but in the politics involved, local and nationwide, in the effort required to keep the project rolling along and how much the artist needs to drive such projects. It’s important never to take your eye of the ball.‘

It is the first time that Mach has cast at scale in bronze making it one of the few works by the artist which can be bought and displayed both inside and outdoors.

‘Train’ will be finished with a beautiful eye catching marbled turquoise patina, continuing Mach’s reign of unique and ‘wow’ factor pieces.

Mach first came to prominence in the 1980s and has since achieved International success with his action-packed sculpture and works on paper.

‘Train’ is scheduled to be finished by the end of 2020 in anticipation for his major solo exhibition in the gallery at Pangolin London in June 2021.

Born in Methil, Scotland in 1956, Mach graduated from the Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art, Dundee in 1979 before moving onto study at the Royal College of Art, London in 1982. He is a former Turner Prize nominee and was elected a Royal Academician in 1998. Throughout his career Mach has held numerous teaching positions within the art world and was appointed Professor of Sculpture at the Royal Academy of Arts in 2010. As well as exhibiting internationally in such locations as London, New York, Dubai and Hong Kong; his work is held in numerous prestigious public and private collections around the world. In 2022, David Mach’s first architectural commission Mach One will be completed for Edinburgh Park.

David Mach lives and works in London and Scotland. Pangolin London are proud to represent David Mach.

For a list of available works by David Mach RA please contact the gallery on: 020 7520 1480 or email: gallery@pangolinlondon.com