Last year, the “Canvas” special stamp highlighted the art collection, which is steeped in tradition, and Swiss Post’s new art strategy. This year, attention now shifts to the second element in this commitment to art – the partnerships with the “Art in the periphery” events. “Art in the periphery” is a series of temporary, curated art events held outside urban hubs. Artists are invited to engage with the relevant locations. Landscapes are reinterpreted, attracting a wider audience. But for this special stamp, the artist Monica Ursina Jäger didn’t choose a specific place but instead focused on the theme of meadows. The artist believes this design perfectly illustrates the overlap between natural habitat and cultural achievement. Meadows are usually created thanks to people and only continue to exist with their help. Art projects have also often been created on meadows in peripheral regions, continuing the dialogue between natural processes and cultural achievement. The print’s special feature is the colour used: it’s the first stamp ever printed with chlorophyll pigments – in other words, the substance responsible for the green colour of plants. This means the stamp is completely natural and “living“. The green will change over time, depending on the effect of light.

 

A limited run of 200 matching art prints on Rives handmade paper (300 gm²) is available. The art edition by the artist Monica Ursina Jäger doesn’t just explore the theme of nature, but also works with nature itself by using the living material chlorophyll. In collaboration with the lithography studio Thomi Wolfensberger in Zurich, the tradition of lithography was combined with experimental use of natural pigments. The same chlorophyll pigments were used for this art print as for the stamp. In fine overlapping layers, plant-related designs and different concentrations of green deepen to create an organic carpet. Real grass and stems were placed directly on the printing stone. Exposing the art print to sunlight will result in subtle colour changes over time. Nature, time, tradition and the present day are all incorporated into this work of art, innovatively symbolizing the periphery. Each of these works of art is hand-signed and numbered by Monica Ursina Jäger. Format: 50 × 38 cm.

The print is supplied unframed. The price is 220 francs, including shipping costs within Switzerland and the Principality of Liechtenstein. Deliveries cannot be made abroad.