"Led by photographer and filmmaker Destiny Mata, who grew up in the Lillian Wald Houses, the sprawling exhibition combines her portraits of neighbors and nightlife with photos sourced from local families through an open call. The result feels part time capsule, part community scrapbook-layered with film clips, handwritten "love letters" to the LES and even architectural recreations like a New York City Housing Authority bench where visitors can sit to watch , a short documentary by resident Aicha Cherif."
""It's about honoring people's lived experiences through the spaces they inhabit," says Mata, whose work captures both the grit and tenderness of the neighborhood that raised her. Curated by Abrons' vice president of visual and performing arts, Ali Rosa-Salas, the project also celebrates Abrons' 50th anniversary and the many communities that have animated its halls. The exhibition's participatory spirit extends beyond its walls."
Lower East Side Yearbook: A Living Archive opens at Abrons Arts Center across three galleries as a multi-sensory tribute to downtown public-housing residents and neighborhood memory. Photographer and filmmaker Destiny Mata, who grew up in the Lillian Wald Houses, combines portraits of neighbors and nightlife with photographs donated by local families. The exhibition includes film clips, handwritten letters to the LES, and architectural recreations like a New York City Housing Authority bench screening a short documentary by resident Aicha Cherif. Curatorial context by Ali Rosa-Salas frames the project within Abrons' 50th anniversary. Participatory programs invite scanning, art-making, tours, conversations, and screenings to expand the living archive.
Read at Time Out New York
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