Amharclann Fhine Gall — Rich Gilligan, The First Draft

In 2019, Rich Gilligan was commissioned by Fingal County Council Arts Office to produce the photography for the Fingal County Arts Plan 2019–2025, along with One Week in August, a visual diary accompanying the plan. This project led to Rich receiving the Amharc Fhine Gall exhibition commission, an annual platform for Fingal-based visual artists funded by the County Council and presented with Draíocht since 2004. The award enabled Rich to expand his practice, explore new media, and experiment with exhibition-making. The commission was suspended due to COVID-19, and Rich returned to the commission in late 2023, alongside curator Linda Shevlin.

The resulting exhibition — The First Draft —revisits Gilligan’s formative years and the work and projects he produced while living in Dublin 15 and later in the US, presented as non-sequential vignettes, the exhibition explores the rich tapestry of life within the skating subculture in Ireland and the US over the last two decades. A true celebration of Blanchardstown and beyond, this exhibition invites reflection on the places that hold our roots and how they resonate across generations and geographies.

The exhibition identity and collateral, produced predominantly in black & white, are distinguished by contrasting typographic styles: a distinctly urban display face, MFRED, designed by the photographer's friend and client, Matt Willey, is combined with the modern serif Tiempos for long-form texts.

The overall typographic identity is used across a linen-covered case-bound book* (published by Driftwood editions), exhibition catalogues, promotional collateral, press and promotion, digital media and the exhibition graphics.

*presented separately.