Polly Nor

IT’S ART, MUM, LOOK IT UP

- Kristin Farr

READ POLLY NOR’S WORK AT FACE VALUE, relish her drawings of devilish, mischievous imps, but then dig into the layers, and you’ll find characters and narratives that deftly mirror our current state of affairs and the omnipresent dark turns the world is taking. Internet addiction, misogyny, and judgemental jerks are heavy presences in Polly’s world. Her work stands up to them, claiming power and giving none of the expected fucks. And, in this way, her work is art, by definition, no matter what the trolls say.

Kristin Farr: Last we spoke, you mentioned that your characters are housebound women. Why are they stuck inside? 

Polly Nor: Most of my drawings are, in some way, influenced by my own experiences of life. London was a cool city to grow up in; you meet loads of different kinds of people and there’s always art or music stuff going on. But when you’re young and have no money, there aren’t many places for you to hang out, so, growing up, we ended up spending a lot of time at home in our bedrooms. Then, throughout my teens, I’d spend most of my days in my room not being able to get out of bed. I’d stay up on the computer all night and then sleep away the whole day. It’s a habit that I have only managed to overcome in the last few years, probably just because I’m so busy with work, and my studio is only open in the day, so that has really forced me out of my nocturnal tendencies.

Internet addiction is scary territory. I don’t even know how to ask about it because I have it.