Looking at Polly Nor‘s illustrations, we feel torn between curiosity and repulsion—a sensation we have come to experience quite often in recent years. Yet, the English illustrator speaks of something that belongs to us: our demons. Nor’s Instagram feed seems to tell many stories, all connected by a common thread—a series of disturbing characters that represent our fears and limitations. We had already talked about Polly Nor during the pandemic when she released “How Have You Been?”, the short film about the lockdown.

The core of Polly Nor’s illustrations appears to be the conflicted relationship we have with ourselves; themes involving acceptance in our contemporary world—heavily influenced by the Internet—as well as sexuality and mental health. Although far from glamorous, Polly Nor’s work—like that of many other illustrators—narrates stories through undeniably unappealing subjects and objects that always make us reflect. By presenting unsettling or uncomfortable scenarios, she highlights the power of ambivalence, compelling us to linger even on the saddest or most brutal illustrations, examining every detail.

One of the recurring themes in her illustrations is demons: the ugly ones that are hard to see and face, surrounding us every day. Among others, in bed, or in our imagination. It seems fitting, then, to highlight one of the illustrator’s chosen phrases for her bio: «I mainly draw women & their demons,» a few words that attempt to describe the multitude of drawings on Polly Nor’s Instagram profile.