Maturing Art: Tatyana Fazlalizadeh Shows the Freedom of Self-Portraiture
On October 10th, Mature Magazine attended Tatyana Fazlalizadeh’s self-portrait exhibition at Seven House Gallery in Brooklyn—an intimate and deeply personal show leading up to her 40th birthday that Sunday. The evening was more than an art event; it was a reflection of an artist stepping into a new chapter of her life with intention, honesty, and grace. The room carried an aura of celebration—not just of age or accomplishment, but of self: what it means to exist fully and freely in one’s humanity.
For Tatyana, this collection wasn’t about spectacle or reinvention—it was simply something she needed to do. “I don’t think that this show is radical by any means,” she shared. “I think it’s something I’m doing because I want to do it.” Her portraits serve as living documentation of her existence —a visual diary of her evolution as both a Black woman and an artist. In a time when our humanity often feels under siege, her work serves as quiet resistance—a mirror that reminds us that seeing oneself, wholly and truthfully, is an act of power.
Known for her public works amplifying voices around social justice and identity, this body of work turns inward—exploring solitude, self-acceptance, and the complexity of being. Each self-portrait stands as an assertion of presence, of softness and strength coexisting within the same frame.
As the evening drew to a close, we carried with us the warmth of her words, particularly those inspired by Toni Morrison’s Sula: “Lonely, ain’t it? Yes, but my lonely is mine.” For Tatyana, loneliness has been a lifelong companion—one she no longer resists. “I’ve decided to own it,” she said. “To live boldly and loudly within it, because it is my life.”
Just as Sula lived unapologetically, so too does Tatyana embrace her next chapter—with complete ownership of her story, her solitude, and her art.
Check out the full interview below!
Credits:
Editor-in-Chief: Oliver Brown
On-site Interviewer: Trinity Yvette
Cinematographer: Kevin Chiu
Video Editor: Charles Hawthorne