Trophies play a major role in American life. Capitalism is essentially rooted in the idea of winning, and trophies are the carrot leading the horse, a symbol of hope and desire for the ninety-nine percent. These paintings envision our trophy-world––shiny and superficial. The metal is an illusion, spray-plated plastic that has no real weight. All the figures proudly stand on a marble base symbolic of our institutional traditions. The paintings enlarge these trinkets, which are no more than six inches high, not to human size but to half-human-size, as if they are desperately trying to assert their importance. Another narrative is created by the presence of my reflection in the trophies. These mini-self-portraits allude to my own desire for success, as well as my participation in the system I purport to critique.