Artist David Mach has found an alternative use for all those coat hangers hanging in our closets, by turning them into enormous life-like sculptures like this giant gorilla seen above. Dubbed King Silver, the silver-back stood frozen in time beating his chest while towering over viewers at the entrance of last month’s V&A exhibition ‘Power of Making’. A breathtaking welcome to the simple gallery space, King Silver prompted most visitors to stop and take a closer look at the bundles of coat hangers that formed the awesome (and rather frightening!) figure.

Continue reading below
Our Featured Videos
king silver gorilla, david mach, coat hanger sculptures, match head sculptures, repurposed coat hangers, innovative art

In addition to coat hangers, the Turner Prize-nominated artist uses match-heads to create interpretive collages. His current exhibition Precious Light – featuring a dramatic depiction of the crucifixion at Calvary – opened in August with a performance by Mach burning a devil’s head sculpture made from 1,000 matches.

This “explosive” exhibition ends in Edinburgh’s City Art Center this week.

+ David Mach