Dare Me

An ongoing project that looks at aging and the numerous intricacies that accompany it. Using a mature, handmade doll from Poland as my muse, I explore the interplay between security and anxiety, freedom and social restraint, visibility and erasure. This doll, named Flo, is used to help make sense of what it means to age in a culture that too often doesn’t honor the wisdom and experience that come with time.

This work can be both playful and provocative because if aging has taught me anything, it’s that I must laugh. I invite viewers to look at their own perceptions of aging while questioning the cultural narratives that shape them. This project is not about soft acceptance. It is a challenge, a provocation, and an invitation to look directly at what we are often told to hide. Dare Me challenges us to look beyond the surface and to consider the emotional, psychological, and societal dimensions of growing older—especially as a woman in today’s society.