Hello, I'm Steve Schlich.

In February 2002, the Justice Department spent $8,000 on curtains to cover up one Art Deco aluminum breast. At that rate, it would cost millions to censor the hundreds of private parts on public display in Washington, D.C.—and none of them are real!

The concept was offensive to me... like pulling a burka over free speech.

But rather than scream about it, I decided to have a good laugh. I flew to Washington and photographed over a hundred different subjects around the capital—mostly outdoor sculpture.

But that's not the half of it. Every statue has a story...

• Sometimes it's the politics of the art, or the artist.
• Sometimes it's the heroism or humanity of the subject.
• and sometimes it's the sheer incongruity of it all.