It's been kind of extreme - people either love it or they don't like it at all - and I think that's a good thing. It's my first art project where there's not a middle ground. I find it very interesting. But the negative feedback hasn't at all kept me from doing it, obviously. Because I haven't really gotten any negative feedback that I feel is really warranted.
Tatyana FazlalizadehIn Boston, a couple of the women were students and they mentioned how Boston has a huge student population, and that's specific to their experiences of street harassment. They feel like the men were a lot more aggressive, particularly when it comes to social outings and things like that.
Tatyana FazlalizadehI'm a woman of color. I've lived in black neighborhoods all of my life, and most of the time I get hit on in my neighborhood - and mostly by black men. And so I wanted to have my specific experience and my perspective on street harassment out there.
Tatyana FazlalizadehSpecifically for black women, our images and our bodies in the media and in history have been so hypersexualized.
Tatyana FazlalizadehI am primarily an oil painter and a studio painter, so originally I was going to do an oil painting.
Tatyana FazlalizadehI sat down and came up with a caption that I thought would fit well on the poster - something that was short and succinct but got a point across. The latest poster was a direct quote - it was exactly what the woman told me.
Tatyana FazlalizadehYou're treated as though you're just a piece of meat, and you're there for consumption by men. I feel like the common thing is men feeling entitled to treat you how they want to treat you. You never feel as though you have a right to the space. And so that's the theme behind most of the posters - "I'm not outside for your entertainment" and "I'm not seeking your validation."
Tatyana Fazlalizadeh