citizens of the Bowery

To launch citizenM's Bowery hotel, we wanted to celebrate the one-of-a-kind, historical neighbourhood, through portraits of those who live there.


Director, photographer and activist, Christelle de Castro, photographed 63 of the neighbourhood's most inspiring misfits and mavericks. citizenM commissioned and hosted the exhibition, using the windows of their new Bowery hotel – all 180 of them – as a unique outdoor gallery space.


The resulting portrait series is a startling mix of charismatic characters each with their own stories to tell. They shared their hidden haunts – cafe’s, clubs, galleries, bars, boutiques – on www.citizenm.com/thebowery.

To complement the Bowery exhibition, citizenM ran a social campaign, put portrait-adorned coffee cups in all of their hotels and handed out cakes to all of their new neighbours.