Exhibition

Exhibition was a world-building exercise, a physical manifestation of the Art Comes First universe. Designed to immerse, provoke, and inspire, the exhibition invites visitors into a curated landscape where objects speak, symbols echo across generations, and every detail reflects the philosophy of the collective.

At its heart, the exhibition reintroduces ACF’s iconic knuckle duster scissors—first conceived over a decade ago and gifted to the group by their former mentor Liam Maher. Here, that emblem takes on new life: etched into tailored prints, reimagined as a golden comb sculpture, and echoed across textile surfaces, garments, and even tools. It stands as both relic and weapon, symbol and heirloom—a nod to the past and a tool for shaping the future.

This exhibition isn't confined to walls—it spills across textures, platforms, and mediums. From intricately crafted skulls to tapestries that blend anatomical motifs with tribal forms, each piece represents the duality that lies at the core of ACF’s vision: life and death, heritage and resistance, function and art. The unfinished walls and raw flooring aren’t accidental—they’re part of the story, revealing that nothing is ever truly finished in this world, only evolving.

Throughout the space, key elements from the ACF language reappear: combs re-forged into brass trophies, bones reimagined as sculptures of power, and tailoring patterns used to construct sculptural chair stacks. These serves as markers of memory and intent. They reveal what holds value in the ACF realm: craftsmanship, storytelling, defiance, and legacy.

One of the most compelling features of the exhibition is its interactive installation—a live screen-printing station where visitors witness the act of creation in real-time. Here, the spirit of DIY and punk tailoring comes alive. Guests can screen-print a limited-edition T-shirt to take away, transforming them from passive viewers to active participants in the ACF narrative. It is both souvenir and statement, a piece of the experience they carry forward.

Exhibition is an ode to making meaning—by hand, by heart, and by heritage. It’s a reminder that in the ACF world, symbols are sacred, tools are weapons, and fashion is never just fashion—it’s a movement.