Nora Turato: Govern Me Harder

David Zwirner Books, 2023, hardcover, 88 pages, 16.5 x 23.5 cm

Originally trained as a graphic designer, Nora Turato adapts text to subvert and create messages. Although many of Turato’s performances and works appear to be drafted by free association, she meticulously and thoughtfully edits them to evoke a sense of alluring confusion. In three signature murals with a bespoke typeface, Turato addresses the inundation of language, typography, and graphic design in our contemporary culture, whether in the news, on social media, or in advertisements.

Published on the occasion of Turato’s widely popular exhibition govern me harder at 52 Walker, this publication features texts by Ebony L. Haynes and Anna Kats. Serving as an extension of the exhibition, performance scripts by the artist are also included in this publication. As described in The Brooklyn Rail, “In the slick sea of graphic smoothness and language lost from meaning, something has still been irrefutably made.”