Alexander Kosolapov, b.1943

"Alexander Kosolapov", in A-Ya (Unofficial Russian Art Review); 1980, no.2, pp.32-34
Hillings, Valerie, "Alexander Kosolapov", in Russia!, ex.cat. New York: Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, 2006, p.56
Vystavka kollektsii Aleksandra Glezera, ex.cat. Moscow: State Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts/Museum of Private Collections, 1995

Kosolapov employs the official language of the Soviet state in a parodic manner in Space for Rent, a work that comments on the bankruptcy of the Soviet system. A book containing the text of the Soviet Constitution is positioned in front of the Soviet banner with hammer and sickle and an image of the Kremlin, on part of which is superimposed Russian text that reads: "October 7 - Constitution Day of the USSR". However, Kosolapov severs the typical Soviet-era imagery found in postcards or posters from its conventional meaning and political framework. He does so by including the English-language inscription "Space for Rent - Call Now 228-2291" - which alludes to the introduction of a capitalist system into the post-Soviet society, where everything is now for sale and where there are no longer any "holy" spaces or sacred ideas.