Irish artist Shane Gillen marks 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement with portrait series

To commemorate the 25th anniversary of the historic Good Friday Agreement, Dublin-based artist Shane Gillen has shared his newest artistic project, entitled 'The Architects of Agreement' – a series of delicately hand-drawn portraits that honour the signatories of the 1998 peace deal.

Gillen, who was 10 when the Good Friday Agreement was signed, drew inspiration from his childhood memories of watching news coverage of the agreement's signing, particularly the joy he witnessed of people celebrating peace.

“25 years since the signing of the Good Friday Agreement, and 25 years of peace on our island. I'm proud to introduce my project 'The Architects of Agreement', a series of hand-drawn portraits of the signatories of the Good Friday Agreement,” his website states.

The collection includes portraits of key figures involved in the peace talks including former Northern Ireland secretary Mo Mowlam, former first minister of Northern Ireland David Trimble, former UK prime minister Tony Blair and former U.S. President Bill Clinton. The series, which is an ongoing project, currently includes over 30 portraits of politicians and civil rights activists who played key roles in passing the agreement.

Portraits of Mo Mowlam and Bill Clinton/Shane Gillen

25 years since the signing of the Good Friday Agreement, and 25 years of peace on our island. I'm proud to introduce my project 'The Architects of Agreement', a series of hand-drawn portraits of the signatories of the Good Friday Agreement.

The work is an ongoing project. Enjoy. pic.twitter.com/T5KCJesyib

— Shane (@ItsGillen) April 10, 2023

The portrait series will be exhibited at The Dean Arts Studio in Dublin from May 18th to May 21st, the artist announced on social media.

Gillen, a self-taught artist, said each of his portraits can take up to a week to complete – and that’s without getting much sleep. In addition to creating highly detailed portraits, Gillen is also the director of creative management at the talent agency Big and Bright.

The Sligo native gained widespread recognition and plaudits for his ‘Pandemic Portraits’ series, a prior collection of portraits that he undertook amid the Covid-19 lockdowns. These restrictions gave Gillen the opportunity to rekindle his love for making art and included impressive portraits of famous Irish figures like Bono, President Michael D Higgins, Gay Byrne and Taoiseach Leo Varadkar.

Gillen’s talent caught the attention of President Higgins, who wrote in a letter to the artist at the time: "I am grateful to citizens like you who use your talent and skills to bring light and joy into the lives of others as we undertake together this unprecedented journey."

‘The Architects of Agreement’ series is accompanied by a video showing Gillen painting some of the portraits with the sound of news reports from the agreement’s signing serving as the backdrop.