Anxious Mickey
Genesis
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This piece is a revision of a custom I made from a 4” Munny I bought many years ago at the Kidrobot store in New York.
Back then I was thinking a lot about the characters we create out of ourselves at different moments in our lives, and how those characters can end up trapping us, suffocating our true essence. This Art Toy represents that border between person and persona.
The size of that canvas wasn’t enough to express what I wanted, so I created a larger and more refined version. In the resized piece I took the opportunity to give it a greater sense of distress, both in the character’s expression and especially in the viscosity effect. I also made Manic Pluto as a companion for the character, something that could work as a counterpart.
Limited Edition
I liked the result so much that I decided to produce a limited edition of Anxious Mickey through a local manufacturer. He handled the rotomolded reproduction of the pieces, and I took care of the painting and finishing of the details.
Prints
Later on, I also created a series of illustrations following the same narrative as this Art Toy, which were produced in limited editions by the Art Toy Gama collective.
Legacy
Anxious Mickey is a piece I strongly identify with, and it still represents very well the way I understand certain aspects of ego construction and self-perception.
On the other hand, painting the pieces in series was quite a long and demanding task, something that made me realise which parts of the creation and production of an Art Toy are truly worth investing my energy in, and which ones end up draining me in ways that affect my creativity.
