Zoya Ali
Professor Cacoilo
Art and Women
January 22, 2017
Polly Nor
Pollynor.com
Polly Nor is a millennial artist from London. She is not a well known artist around the world. I found her on Instagram last year and her art caught my attention instantly. Nor is a feminist and social activist who uses her talent to start conversations about body positivity, mental health, and many other social issues. If you look on the bulletin board in the first picture, you will see a paper with the words, “BLACK LIVES MATTER”. Polly Nor draws women and their flaws, similar to Frida Kahlo. Unlike most European art done by male artists who show women with smooth and blemish-free skin, Nor showcases the body hair and fat rolls that we all deal with. By depicting female bodies in a realistic fashion, she is sending a body positive message to the spectators of her artwork.
In almost all of her pieces, Polly Nor shows an interaction between women and demons. A lot of her pieces show women looking in mirrors and seeing ugly beasts looking back at them. There are also pieces where the woman captures and locks up her demon, and vice versa. Sometimes the women are just hanging out with the demons as if they were friends, or even performing sexual acts. My perception of this is the demons represent the inner demons we all have. Some people hear those voices in their head louder than others. I think in each picture, Nor shows how different women deal with their demons. You may find yourself staring in a mirror for hours, over analyzing yourself, or you may even let the demons take over your life completely. Either way, Polly Nor showcases the most vulnerable and intimate moments that women have with themselves, sometimes in their head, or when they are completely alone.
Im in love with the second picture. I truly believe that almost everybody in society is that way. Not everything on the outside is the same as it is on the inside. Although the demons do creep me out, it helps me see the world more realistically.
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