Nine Lives

Nine Lives is Stampleman’s photographic love letter to New York City. As a third generation New Yorker, bodegas have been a formative part of her life and upbringing. Cats have been a long-time staple of bodegas acting as pest control. Over time they have evolved into neighborhood pets. As neighborhoods have changed in recent years, the Health Department has been cracking down on the presence of cats within bodegas, neglecting their vital role in the culture of the communities. Her documentation of nine New York City bodega cats is an attempt to preserve an endangered part of New York’s history and identity.