Nadya Tolokonnikova

Nadezhda Andreyevna Tolokonnikova was born on November 7, 1989, in Norilsk, Russia. Her early academic pursuits led her to the philosophy department of Moscow State University in 2007, where she developed an interest in amateur modern literature and art projects. Tolokonnikova became active within the art scene early in her career, joining the Voina art collective in 2007. With Voina, she participated in several public performances, including the controversial “Fuck for the heir Puppy Bear!” in February 2008, a satirical commentary on political calls for increased reproduction, conducted while she was pregnant. She also engaged in other actions such as “Operation Kiss Garbage” from January to March 2011, which involved kissing policewomen in Moscow. These early activities established her as an artist unafraid to challenge norms through performance.

In 2011, Tolokonnikova co-founded the feminist art collective Pussy Riot. The group became internationally known for their provocative political protests, most notably the “Punk Prayer” performance in the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour in Moscow on February 21, 2012. This action led to her arrest on August 17, 2012, and subsequent conviction for hooliganism motivated by religious hatred, resulting in a two-year imprisonment. During her incarceration in a penal colony, she went on a hunger strike to protest prison conditions and alleged threats, drawing international attention to human rights issues in Russia. She corresponded with philosopher Slavoj Žižek, resulting in the book “Comradely Greetings: The Prison Letters of Nadya and Slavoj”. Tolokonnikova was released early on December 23, 2013, under an amnesty bill, and she and fellow Pussy Riot member Maria Alyokhina subsequently established MediaZona, a human rights media outlet focused on penal and judicial themes.

Post-release, Tolokonnikova continued her activism and artistic endeavors. She authored “How to Start a Revolution” in 2016 and “Read & Riot: A Pussy Riot Guide to Activism” in 2018. In 2022, she founded Unicorn DAO, a decentralized autonomous organization dedicated to supporting female, non-binary, and LGBTQ+ artists in Web3 through non-fungible tokens (NFTs). This initiative followed her involvement in Ukraine DAO, which raised $7 million for Ukraine during the Russo-Ukrainian War. Her work with Unicorn DAO aims to address gender disparities within the digital art space. In late March 2023, the Russian Interior Ministry added Tolokonnikova to its wanted list, and an arrest warrant was issued in absentia in November 2023, reflecting the ongoing political implications of her activism.