NIGHT EMPERORS is a series of nine giant hand made illustrations about New York nightlife created during COVID by Rachel van der Nacht.

Each artwork is a nocturnal scene showcasing bartenders, club owners, patrons, artists, promoters, performers, musicians, consumers, and all the hopeless insomniacs that make the New York nightlife so special. The highlighted clubs are Lola, Le Bain, Paul’s Baby Grand, Soho Grand, China Chalet, Et Al, Casablanca, The Box, and Ponyboy.

Rachel van der Nacht created more than 450 hand drawings. At night. This tremendous work was a huge challenge, but also a therapeutic way to escape the heavy reality: for the first time in our lives, we have seen the city that never sleeps, asleep.
Millions of New Yorkers.
No more people in the streets.
No more hugs. No more smiles.
No more parties. No more disco.
Still. Memories, art, and hope.
This is an ode to nightlife when it dit not exist anymore.

The artworks can now be seen permanently at Sohogrand and Ponyboy, who bought the giant artworks, as seen in this Interview for the French TV channel TV5 Monde.

The project became a collab with JR in 2021.