Alexander Kholopov is a Moscow-based artist who has worked extensively with the format of the postage stamp and has become a leading exponent of Mail Art ( a form of art which uses the postal system as a medium). As a child he was fascinated by the exotic, unattainable world suggested in the tiny images found on the foreign stamps which he secretly acquired through the black market. His patriotic father destroyed his collection but not his obsession. As a grown man and artist he combined his knowledge of the kind of images found on official Soviet stamps, (produced by the government to counter the black market collectors) with the desire inspired by the foreign ones, usually with a good dose of humour and or satire.

While reflecting a universal spirit of national pride, which frequently seems to celebrate the bizarre within a national culture, the idea of a manhole cover celebrated as a national icon illustrates Kholopov's black humour and his deep awareness of the unpleasant realities lurking beneath the surface of Russian society. He carries the subversive message further by weaving in references to famous Western European or US celebrities or historic events which are more to do with having fun than intellectual endeavour or political leadership.