ash thayer

kill city

It seems difficult in 2015 to imagine that squats in the heart of NYC still existed in the 1990’s. Several squatters, drug dealers, junkies or people with low-income, took over entire empty buildings barely habitable to create homes for themselves.

The photographer Ash Tayer who used to live in squats because she was unable to afford a rent as a student, took the opportunity to take in picture this life with a unique intimacy point of view.  She earned the trust from her subjects and depicted the squatters’ solidarity, joy and sadness during almost ten years. Indeed, few photographers and journalists were welcome in these buildings since the rest of the society frowned upon their poor legal standing.

Ash Thayer just released the book “Kill City” which compiles her best photographs of the Lower East Side squatters between 1992 and 2000.