BEHIND THE LENS: THE ARTISTS THAT DOCUMENTED QUEER HISTORY

Jill Freedman photo of the Meatpacking District's queer nightlife scene in the 80s and 90s.
BY Meatpacking BIDPUBLISHED 06.12.2023

A District Defined: Streets, Sex, and Survival exhibits the work of eight talented photographers, encapsulating the essence of the Meatpacking District in the late 80s and 90s. It stands as the most comprehensive and captivating display of photojournalism showcasing the neighborhood during that era to date.

The photos on display will not only offer a glimpse into the underground Meatpacking clubs and spaces where the LGBTQ+ community found solace and liberation, but they’ll also highlight the larger cultural battles and shifting societal norms of the time.

Read a few of photographers’ own words below for a behind the lens sneak peak into Streets, Sex, and Survival:

Photo by Efrain Gonzalez
Photo by Efrain Gonzalez, on display at 401

“[There] was more to the culture than just wearing an outfit. It was a lifestyle. It was a point of view. It was an expression of beliefs. And that’s what made it what it was.

These were places where you could go and become that life. And then when you leave, you would leave everything behind and go back to being normal.” - Efrain Gonzalez

Photo by Catherine McGann
Photo by Catherine McGann, on display at 401

“There's always a scene, right? So I ended up being there in the scene of club kids …” - Catherine McGann

Photo by Katsu Naito
Photo by Katsu Naito, on display at 401

“I wait for the moment to come in, and there’s always a moment. The neighborhood is very different now than it was in the 90s. Simply, it was a reality, it was real life, it was not fiction.” - Katsu Naito

A District Defined: Streets, Sex, and Survival runs June 23 - July 9 at 401 on 401 West 14th Street.

*Some of the works will be on sale with a portion of proceeds from photographs and merchandise swag going 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.

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