A DISTRICT DEFINED: STREETS, SEX, AND SURVIVAL

Photo by Lynsey Addario
Photo by Lynsey AddarioBY Meatpacking BIDPUBLISHED 05.22.2023

Dive into a first-of-its-kind photography exhibition examining the Meatpacking District’s rich history of queer nightlife in the late 80s and 90s. In collaboration with New York City-based human rights activist, election reformer, and producer Tim Hayes and the American LGBTQ+ Museum, we are thrilled to announce A District Defined: Streets, Sex, and Survival. 

Photo by Efrain Gonzalez

Eight visionary artists: Lynsey Addario, Jill Freedman, Lola Flash, Efrain Gonzalez, T.L. Litt, Joseph Rodríguez, Katsu Naito, and Catherine McGann, reveal their perspectives of the Meatpacking District during a pivotal time in our history.

Plus, enjoy works from Spencer Tunick and Richard Young, like the portrait of Freddie Mercury by Young, a longtime friend and photographer of Mercury's, which beckons you with its provocative charm: Freddie is adorned in a Mineshaft t-shirt, the emblematic symbol of the notorious gay BDSM and leather bar once located in the District. 

A District Defined: Streets, Sex, and Survival invites visitors to connect with the Meatpacking District and its denizens during an era that laid the foundation for what the neighborhood is today. 

With this exhibit, we aim to pay homage to the District’s rich history while acknowledging the hardships and struggles that shaped it, resurrecting a feeling that defined the time period and providing visitors with an opportunity to observe the neighborhood’s evolution.

"Bringing these works back to the Meatpacking District 24 years after they were taken is a remarkable, full circle moment. I am proud to be a part of this unique show," said Pulitzer Prize-winning photographer Lynsey Addario who spent six months in 1999 photographing trans women working as sex workers and in community with one another. “Spending my weekends with these women was enlightening and educational. The story of struggle and survival is captured in their faces, and in many cases still rings true for trans people today.”

Some of the work in this exhibit will be offered for sale. Portions of proceeds from the photographs and merchandise swag from the program will go to the American LGBTQ+ Museum, a new museum based in New York City whose mission is to ensure that the dynamic lives and stories of the LGBTQ+ community are told and preserved.

A District Defined: Streets, Sex, and Survival, opens on June 23 within 401, a unique new concept space located at 401 West 14th Street, and will run for three weeks. 401 will also offer a variety of events during its three-week run including a coffee bar presented by Terremoto, happy hour selections, and artist talks and panel discussions. See details.

WHILE YOU’RE HERE…

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March, 2026

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