“I’ve spent my entire adult life raising kids,” artist Cary Daly says. “Now my youngest just graduated, and I’m standing here like … okay, so who the hell am I now?”
That question is at the heart of PLEASE TOUCH, Daly’s debut solo exhibition, opening September 26 at ArtServe in Fort Lauderdale. Presented by ShangriLa Collective and curated by artist and ShangriLa founder Kelcie McQuaid, the show invites audiences to experience art that is funny, raw, and very much meant to be felt.
“I’m not aiming for perfection,” Daly tells PureHoney. “I’m aiming for honesty. Relatable, slightly unhinged honesty.”
There are stitched paintings, tactile soft sculpture, an interactive quilt, and a beaded, embroidered piece that Daly playfully refers to as “Post-Fertility Goddess.” “She’s soft and a little over the top … kind of like me,” she says. “She should be too much, but somehow, she’s just right.”
Complex woven textiles, beads, and sequins create highly detailed and nuanced textures that tell the story of Daly’s life. “I’ve spent years teaching art to people with disabilities,” she says. “So it’s always been important to me to create something inclusive, something sensory. I want people to touch the art. That’s kind of the whole point.”
Shortly after receiving a Broward County Artist Support Grant for the exhibit, Daly received a cancer diagnosis. She says working on PLEASE TOUCH helped her cope: “It sounds nuts, but stitching these pieces has kept me sane. I needed something to pour myself into. Something fun, even while life was throwing some serious curveballs.”
Daly says her method isn’t to sketch things out or stick to plans. “I start with a loose idea, and then it’s all process. I layer colors, textures, whatever I need to work through whatever my brain is yelling about.”
The result is a warm, weird, and very human exhibition about aging, visibility, softness, grit and the sensation of touch. “PLEASE TOUCH is kind of a love letter to middle-aged women who feel invisible,” Daly says. “We’re still here. We’re still complex. And dammit, we’re still worthy of love and attention.”
Cary Daly’s PLEASE TOUCH opens Friday, September 26 with a free public reception, 6-9pm, at ArtServe in Fort Lauderdale. instagram.com/daly.cary artserve.org ~ Joy Heller
