POLLY NOR CW: VIOLENT IMAGERY, SEXUAL IMAGERY

An article published on September 12th analyzes how Polly Nor’s work interacts with harmful expectations that surround feminine-presenting people and women in London. Nor, in her work, tries to emulate the effects of how such people often feel the need to look and act in a way which is perceived as “perfect” to society. The effect of this is so strong on individuals that they begin to feel estranged even from themselves, resulting in violent or sexual imagery with a feminine-presenting person and a devil. The devil is sometimes portrayed as the person’s inner self, and other times it is portrayed as a threat to the person’s safety, or as a trigger. Critics of her work have noted that it requires emotional labor to view and effectively grasp the meaning of her work. Her subjects are not often clothed, and several ideological aspects of her work center around a ‘shedding of skin’, which can be perceived as in the least powerful sense jarring and in the most powerful sense outright triggering. Although her postings to social media provide quick access to those who are not exhausted by the content, those who do feel exhausted by the content tend to be overwhelmed. Her newest work, Airing My Dirty Laundry in Public, was posted online recently (she often showcases or advertises her work on instagram). The exhibit itself will open for tours in October.