Self Portrait as Action Figure Trading Cards (click for statement)
These Self Portrait Trading Cards are an exercise in fantasy. The action figures are from my personal collection which consists of some 20 action figures and models, all depicting powerful women or giant robots (which could, of course, be piloted by powerful women). Begun in the late 1990’s, the first figure in the collection was Sniper Wolf. She was a gift inspired by a conversation about how all female action figures are grossly proportioned. While this may be the case, the characters I choose to collect are also strong, intelligent, self actuating women. What would it be like to be these people? To know Kung Fu? To slay a vampire? To ride the wind on a silent glider, at peace with nature and the world? To possess the power and skill and responsibilities of these women? That is the fantasy. It is a kind of play we enjoy as children. I’ve possessed my toys. I’ve inserted my face into the photographs of these figures, and my personality into the accounts of their thoughts, feelings, and experiences. Pick a character and explore her life, then come home to your own. Tricia Neumyer2005
