Tatyana Fazlalizadeh says Oklahoma is Black is both provocative and “a love letter to black people and to blackness in Oklahoma.” In this Artist Statement Minute, Tatyana talks about the Oklahoma is Black exhibition at the Oklahoma Contemporary Arts Center.

Tatyana Fazlalizadeh: Oklahoma is Black both depicts and celebrate Oklahoma City’s rich black history, highlighting the black lives that have made and continue to make this city. Fazlalizadeh interviewed black residents of Oklahoma City’s Northeast side, where she grew up, about their experiences living with daily oppression, particularly racism and sexism. The exhibition includes wheatpaste portraits of and quotes from those residents, oil paintings, historic photos, and multiple videos.

For more insight into Fazlaliadeh’s work, this video above is from a private tour of the site-specific exhibition at Oklahoma Contemporary.

Fazlaliadeh’s paintings, wheatpasted large-scale drawings and video interviews will be on view at Oklahoma Contemporary from February 22 to May 19. This will be the last exhibition at Oklahoma Contemporary before they move to their new location.

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