Postcards from an artist

Renowned contemporary artist and sculptor Scotsman David Mach is a member of the Royal Academy of Arts and has exhibited his work in the world's leading art houses.

Mach is the highlight of Dubai Summer Surprises Art Week at Mall of the Emirates this week and he described his excitement at being in Dubai for the first time.

"It's a real can-do place," he said. "I like all the buildings, the development. It's so hard and fast."

He was inspired by the energy and pace of Dubai which influenced his selection of the rapidly changing skyline of the city and the overlay image of the galloping horse.

"It's got purr and grace and energy, it's raw and unstoppable," he said. "You're not going to stop it and in that way it is like Dubai."

His work, which sells for between US$150,000 and $200,000, focuses predominantly on collage and his unique use of post cards.

He described working with the medium as "like a big dry painting".

Mach said he often used items from everyday life to help connect art with the audience.

"Art is a very complex and pretentious thing sometimes," he said. "I didn't go out and get the best silver and gold, I got postcards."

His use of everyday items like match heads and coat hangers can be seen in his other work with sculptures and postcards and in his collage work of David and Victoria Beckham.

"These materials link me to everyone," he said. "Nobody has to describe to you in art terms what a post card is. It's up to the audiences what they take from the work."

Visitors to Mall of the Emirates can see Mach and his team working on the piece near Zara at the Galleria all this week.

Mach said he hopes the work, using 8000 postcards, will be completed by Saturday when it will go on display. It can be viewed from August 4 at the Dubai Community Theatre and Arts Centre gallery at the mall where it will be on sale.