Article 1
PUSSY RIOT IS ONLY GETTING STARTED
Mar-11-2023
On an otherwise uneventful Wednesday night, Canvas 3.0 was bustling as people lined up and were escorted into “MATRIARCHY NOW”, a NFT launch presented by Rolling Stone debuting 11 unique NFTs featuring Nadya Tolokonnikova of Pussy Riot shot by Ellen von Unwerth. For this project, Nadya Tolokonnikova and Ellen von Unwerth collaborated for the first time in a reflection on art and sexuality, with the lead “MATRIARCHY NOW” 1/1 cover recreation auctioned with net proceeds benefiting women’s reproductive rights.
This event was where I met Nadya for the first time, and provided me a front row seat to the exhibitions, performances, auctions and projects to come. For those unfamiliar with Nadya’s full story, in 2012 she was sentenced to two years in a Russian labor prison alongside another member of Pussy Riot after a performance protesting the regime of Vladimir Putin and its relationship with the Orthodox Church. I had read her book, Read and Riot: A Pussy Riot Guide to Activism detailing her time in the Russian prison system and lessons she’s taken through life guiding her work . Since the beginning of the war in Ukraine Nadya has been working relentlessly to engage the public through art, music, and technology.
Two years ago, Pussy Riot dropped their music video and first NFT series, Panic Attack, which raised funds for victims of domestic violence in Russia, acting as Tolokonnikova’s foray into web 3. From there, Nadya had made headlines in March of 2022 when she worked alongside TrippyLabs and members of PleaserDAO to create UkraineDAO. The Ukrainian flag NFT auctioned by Ukraine DAO was the tenth most expensive NFT ever sold, donating proceeds directly to the Ukrainian government and initiatives like “Come Back Alive”, proving non-fungible tokens have potential to provide aid and resources in moments of crisis. It was around this time that Tolokonnikova founded UnicornDAO, with a stated mission to build a platform for a feminist and queer revolution on the blockchain, through collecting and showcasing art by women, nonbinary, and LGBTQ+ creators.
For those outside of crypto, DAO stands for decentralized autonomous organizations. A DAO is a governance structure lacking centralized authority; rather, decision-making power is distributed across its members, all of whom hold governance tokens. In discussion with the Gagosian Quarterly Nadya explained why this format was so conducive to her cause, “The DAO is a working model for different systems of governance, and it was appealing to me because of my interests in political theory; I’m an activist forever.”
Despite the success found in web3, Pussy Riot continues to spread their message as a feminist protest and performance art group across a spectrum of mediums. “MATRIARCHY NOW” is also the title of Pussy Riot’s most recent album released in August 2022. The feminist dance-pop album was produced by Tove Lo and features iLoveMakonnen, Big Freedia, and Slayyyter.
Following the event at Canvas 3.0, Nadya brought “Putin’s Ashes” to the Jeffrey Dietsch gallery for Pussy Riot’s first art performance in a gallery setting. The short film “Putin’s Ashes”, released to the public in August 2022, featured 12 women adorned in silk black slips, red balaclavas and red gloves standing near a 10 x 10-foot portrait of the Russian president, which was burned to the ground. Nadya then incorporated the ashes into a series of objects which were displayed at the Dietsch. Opening night began with a protest and live performance by Pussy Riot, which was met with overwhelming turnout from the public, a clear indication that Nadya’s message is resonating with the punk community and those impassioned by the conflict in Ukraine.
Today Nadya’s influence is back on the east coast at Sothebys where the auction My Body, My Business is open from March 7th - March 14th featuring 32 artworks made by women-identifying artists, curated by Tolokonnikova and Unicorn DAO. A portion of the sale’s proceeds will benefit a number of reproductive health organizations, including Planned Parenthood.
Pussy Riot has been doing the work for over 10 years now, and I encourage anyone with interest in art, music, activism, politics, philosophy, technology or the like to follow Nadya’s journey and strap the fuck in, because it’s clear she’s only getting started.
This event was where I met Nadya for the first time, and provided me a front row seat to the exhibitions, performances, auctions and projects to come. For those unfamiliar with Nadya’s full story, in 2012 she was sentenced to two years in a Russian labor prison alongside another member of Pussy Riot after a performance protesting the regime of Vladimir Putin and its relationship with the Orthodox Church. I had read her book, Read and Riot: A Pussy Riot Guide to Activism detailing her time in the Russian prison system and lessons she’s taken through life guiding her work . Since the beginning of the war in Ukraine Nadya has been working relentlessly to engage the public through art, music, and technology.
Two years ago, Pussy Riot dropped their music video and first NFT series, Panic Attack, which raised funds for victims of domestic violence in Russia, acting as Tolokonnikova’s foray into web 3. From there, Nadya had made headlines in March of 2022 when she worked alongside TrippyLabs and members of PleaserDAO to create UkraineDAO. The Ukrainian flag NFT auctioned by Ukraine DAO was the tenth most expensive NFT ever sold, donating proceeds directly to the Ukrainian government and initiatives like “Come Back Alive”, proving non-fungible tokens have potential to provide aid and resources in moments of crisis. It was around this time that Tolokonnikova founded UnicornDAO, with a stated mission to build a platform for a feminist and queer revolution on the blockchain, through collecting and showcasing art by women, nonbinary, and LGBTQ+ creators.
For those outside of crypto, DAO stands for decentralized autonomous organizations. A DAO is a governance structure lacking centralized authority; rather, decision-making power is distributed across its members, all of whom hold governance tokens. In discussion with the Gagosian Quarterly Nadya explained why this format was so conducive to her cause, “The DAO is a working model for different systems of governance, and it was appealing to me because of my interests in political theory; I’m an activist forever.”
Despite the success found in web3, Pussy Riot continues to spread their message as a feminist protest and performance art group across a spectrum of mediums. “MATRIARCHY NOW” is also the title of Pussy Riot’s most recent album released in August 2022. The feminist dance-pop album was produced by Tove Lo and features iLoveMakonnen, Big Freedia, and Slayyyter.
Following the event at Canvas 3.0, Nadya brought “Putin’s Ashes” to the Jeffrey Dietsch gallery for Pussy Riot’s first art performance in a gallery setting. The short film “Putin’s Ashes”, released to the public in August 2022, featured 12 women adorned in silk black slips, red balaclavas and red gloves standing near a 10 x 10-foot portrait of the Russian president, which was burned to the ground. Nadya then incorporated the ashes into a series of objects which were displayed at the Dietsch. Opening night began with a protest and live performance by Pussy Riot, which was met with overwhelming turnout from the public, a clear indication that Nadya’s message is resonating with the punk community and those impassioned by the conflict in Ukraine.
Today Nadya’s influence is back on the east coast at Sothebys where the auction My Body, My Business is open from March 7th - March 14th featuring 32 artworks made by women-identifying artists, curated by Tolokonnikova and Unicorn DAO. A portion of the sale’s proceeds will benefit a number of reproductive health organizations, including Planned Parenthood.
Pussy Riot has been doing the work for over 10 years now, and I encourage anyone with interest in art, music, activism, politics, philosophy, technology or the like to follow Nadya’s journey and strap the fuck in, because it’s clear she’s only getting started.