The Secret Mall Apartment That Redefined Urban Art

In 2003, eight Rhode Island artists pulled off one of the wildest creative stunts imaginable. They built a fully functioning secret apartment inside the busy Providence Place Mall and lived there in secret for four years. They smuggled in furniture, tapped into the mall’s power, and even built a wall from over two tons of cinderblock, all while filming their covert adventure.

This was more than a prank or a dare. Their secret mall apartment became a bold act of rebellion and a powerful artistic statement. It stood as a protest against gentrification, a living art installation, and a clubhouse for ambitious creative projects. Above all, it was a 750 square foot reminder that art can exist anywhere, even inside the walls of consumerism itself.

Director Jeremy Workman, known for acclaimed documentaries such as Lily Topples The World, The World Before Your Feet, and Deciding Vote, dives into one of the most astonishing real-life tales with Secret Mall Apartment. This captivating film unveils never-before-seen footage and, for the first time, reveals the true identities of the artists behind the secret space.

What unfolds is more than just a story about a hidden apartment inside a bustling mall; it is a moving exploration of creativity, defiance, and the search for belonging. The film captures how a small group of visionaries discovered meaning, community, and purpose in an unexpected urban sanctuary. Instead of stealing art, a group of bold and imaginative Rhode Island artists secretly built and lived inside an art project right in the middle of the Providence Place Mall for four whole years without anyone noticing. Talk about gutsy creativity!

Director Jeremy Workman captures their wild experiment with precision, showing how these artists transformed a forgotten space into something meaningful. What started as an art installation soon became an “apartment,” a surreal refuge that blurred the line between rebellion and creation. Beneath the humor and mischief lies a deeper commentary on urban development, gentrification, and the loss of community spaces, issues that resonate far beyond Providence.

As the film unfolds, it becomes clear that this group wasn’t just seeking thrills. They were quietly pushing back against the forces of capitalism that erased the creative soul of their neighborhood. The contrast between the decaying industrial past and the glossy mall above it feels poetic, a protest built from cinderblocks and imagination.

Despite their boundary-testing antics and privilege, these eight RISD students come across as kind, curious, and full of wonder. Their project, though technically “illegal,” gave back more to the city than it ever took. Secret Mall Apartment is more than a quirky true story; it is a meditation on art, identity, and the places we choose to call home. Hopefully, this hidden gem finds an audience far beyond Providence.

The cast features Michael Townsend, Colin Bliss, Adriana Valdez-Young, and Andrew Oesch, whose lives are at the heart of this extraordinary journey. Directed by Jeremy Workman and executive produced by actor and filmmaker Jesse Eisenberg, Secret Mall Apartment delivers a rich blend of art, humor, and humanity, transforming an unbelievable story into a deeply emotional and unforgettable cinematic experience.