In every neighborhood, there is someone who makes the Arts a part of their life, and our community. You'd be surprised to discover how many different people use the arts to improve the quality of life in our hometown. EAT MORE ART! VEGAS will feature them regularly in our series "10 Bites."
What kinds of art do you enjoy, create, or perform in?
I have spent the last 20+ years creating immersive, thematic, costumed events for the LGBTQ+, kink, ethically non-monogamous, and alternative lifestyle communities. I am most known for my international network of sex culture events: Kinky Salon (www.kinkysalon.com,) and for my book, Polly: Sex Culture Revolutionary (https://bookshop.org/shop/polly.) More recently I have been building inflatable, interactive, erotic, latex sculptures.
Why do you do it?
I have always been inspired and fascinated by human sexuality and I live to explore and interrogate the erotic experience. I thrive on the dynamic cultural dialog generated from sharing art with the world.
What’s your favorite production/performance experience so far?
For the first two years of the pandemic, my productions completely ground to a halt, and during that time two things happened: I completely lost my sense of identity, and then I rediscovered myself anew. I realized that the constant grind of event production had left me feeling creatively stagnant. I threw myself into my art studio and started working in latex to create large-scale inflatable sculptures. After lock down I debuted my first installation and it was pure joy. My events have always been individual experiences. No production ever happens twice and they are guided by the magic of spontaneity and synchronicity. But, nothing had ever compared to singular experience of the F**kball, a 7 ft tall, colorful, bouncy, inflatable, latex ball covered in penetrable vulvas, rolling into a room full of naked people.
What jobs have you done other than being an artist, or what do you do when you are "at work?"
My first real job was at a kink store in London when I was a teenager, selling latex clothes. I started to make my own latex fashion in the mid-'90s, and when I moved to the US in the late ‘90s I founded my label, The Moral Minority. Kink fashion shows were the platform for my first performances, as a model, then as a designer and director. It was around 2002 that I realized I was more inspired by the performances than the fashion, the clothing itself became less important to me, and I refocused my creative energy on the immersive, erotic, community-driven art experience that became known as Kinky Salon.
What is an arts experience that you will never forget, or a memorable response to your work?
I would like to give a shout-out to the librarians who have put my book on shelves in remote corners of the country. It’s always memorable when people show up because they picked my book up in a library and traveled hundreds of miles to find the nearest event. I feel humbled and grateful for the network of information that librarians continue to curate and foster.
What would you be doing if you weren't performing, creating, or enjoying the Arts in Las Vegas?
I would take some time off to enjoy the incredible nature we have around the city! Hiking in the mountains, camping in the valleys, soaking in the hot springs, and laying in a hammock in the dappled shade between two trees in my backyard.
Name something you love about Las Vegas, and why.
There’s an immense amount of creative energy here, making our huge tourist attractions roll 24 hours a day 7 days a week, which means the town is teeming with amazing artists, performers, and makers. But, there’s something else happening under the surface in Las Vegas that I found surprising when I moved here, and it’s counter to the image of the city: While the Strip can be loud, brash, and overwhelming, the pace of life here is actually very relaxed, and the city is full of authentic, heartfelt, and caring people. Oh, and the sunsets. Nobody does sunsets like Vegas.
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve been given?
Leave it better than you found it.
What superpower would you have and why?
I would have the superpower to heal sexual trauma. Culture has failed us on an epic scale.
What future projects are you looking forward to?
The Erotic Heritage Museum in Las Vegas is exhibiting my new work. There is an intimate preview event on Monday, August 1st, where the public will be able to interact with the sculptures, and then they will be put on display in the museum.
You can RSVP to the event here https://hub.kinkysalon.com/events/44362
Find out more about Polly Superstar at www.pollysuperstar.com.
Are you a local artist of any discipline? Do you work with a company as a stagehand or administrative staff? Do you love to experience it as the audience? We'd love to get your 10 Bites to share. Fill out a form here, and you might be featured in a post!