David Mach

Description

Multiples of mass-produced objects, most notably magazines, newspapers and car tyres, have been used consistently by Mach throughout his career, and Myslexia is no exception. Made almost entirely out of scrabble tiles, and situated inside the visitor centre within the grounds of the Cass Sculpture Foundation, this radical use of an instantly recognizable, and undeniably British past-time pursuit is immediately arresting.

David mach is an artist that delights in taking societal conventions and signifiers as a starting point, and then turning them on their heads, affording us new perspectives on everyday objects and sculptural traditions.

A body of knowledge? A voluptuous lady of letters? The title Myslexia can be read on several levels. Composed entirely of scrabble tiles, it questions both the function of sculpture, and how we interpret art, perhaps pointing us directly back to the language and discourses that surround art, which help us to frame our individual responses to it. On another level, Myslexia refers to her gender, and to the disorder dyslexia, which is achieved through the titles clever linguistic play. Standing in front of the piece, one is reminded of classical nudes, like the Three Graces, and her posture is very reminiscent of those adopted by the women in Picasso's infamous painting D'amoiselle D'avignons. She leans coyly against the plinth; lifting what looks like a granite book away from its top, further undermining the normally elevated status (in a literal sense) that sculpture and monuments traditionally enjoy. She is retaliatory, and also amusing, defiantly asking us to readdress the historical backdrop against which a piece of sculpture such as this pits itself.