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One of 4 sheets of 20 stamps comprising the project 'The Best Sewerage For The Best People'.

Print
1996 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

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.


Object details

Category
Object type
TitleOne of 4 sheets of 20 stamps comprising the project 'The Best Sewerage For The Best People'. (assigned by artist)
Materials and techniques
offset lithograph printed in green and black
Brief description
Sheet of 20 from a set of 80 stamps '80 Moscow Manhole Covers' from the project 'The Best Sewerage For The Best People' , Alexander Kholopov. Artist's stamps, Russian, 1996
Physical description
Sheet of 20 stamps in lime green and black, with 5 lines of perforations horizontally and 6 lines vertically. The design of each stamp includes an image of a manhole cover in the centre, surrounded by text and numbers in Russian and English. The designs are all different from each other.
Dimensions
  • Height: 78.8cm
  • Width: 53.9cm
Production typeLimited edition
Marks and inscriptions
(The individual stamps which form E.217:3 and E.217:4-2006 are variously lettered in English, including with the caption across the tops of the stamps ' THE BEST SEWERAGE FOR THE BEST PEOPLE' and a value (from 5-7 gram/gold)The only lettering in Russian is, on the left margin, the name of a western European or US Celebrity or historic event (the name/event is in English on the right).)
Gallery label
Alexander Kholopov was a leading exponent of mail art and the artist’s stamp. This ironic set of collectors’ stamps parodies the patriotic souvenir sets published by the Soviet government to celebrate architectural landmarks or technological achievements. Each stamp is dedicated to one of the events and personalities from history, the arts and popular culture that inspired the artist over the years. (22/10/2016)
Credit line
Gift of the Artist
Production
'The Best Sewerage For The Best People' is part of the project 'Sewers Of The World Unite' a collection of images of manhole covers and grills, which was started by Kholopov and Lamanova in the 1990s and now has an international web presence with to date (2009) 233 contributors with 3052 images from 71 countries.
Subjects depicted
Place depicted
Summary
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.
Associated objects
Collection
Accession number
E.217:4-2006

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Record createdJune 30, 2009
Record URL
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