Art and Activism: An Evening with Nadya Tolokonnikiova

The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Center for the Arts and the Elizabeth D. Rockwell Center on Ethics and Leadership at the Hobby School of Public Affairs present an evening with conceptual artist and political activist Nadya Tolokonnikova on Thursday, April 17 at 6 p.m. in the Rockwell Pavilion at MD Anderson Library at the University of Houston. Tolokonnikova is the creator of Pussy Riot, a global feminist protest-art movement. In 2012, Pussy Riot performed the song “Punk Prayer” in Moscow’s Cathedral of Christ the Savior, opposing the reelection of Vladimir Putin to the Russian presidency and resulting in their arrests by Russian authorities.

Tolokonnikova will be in dialogue with Patricia Restrepo, assistant curator and exhibitions manager at the Contemporary Art Museum Houston, on topics ranging from her provocative multidisciplinary practice to her experience as a political prisoner in Russia and art censorship’s impact on culture. The audience is encouraged to participate in a Q&A following the program. The artist talk is free and open to the University of Houston campus and surrounding communities, but registration is required.

About the Artist

Conceptual artist and political activist Nadya Tolokonnikova is the creator of Pussy Riot, a global feminist protest-art movement. In 2012, Pussy Riot’s performed the song "Punk Prayer" in Moscow's Cathedral of Christ the Savior, opposing the reelection of Vladimir Putin to the Russian presidency. The group's subsequent arrest and trial brought Pussy Riot a global following. Tolokonnikova was sentenced to two years' imprisonment. While in Pr*son, she went on a hunger strike, raising awareness of the inhumane Pr*son conditions. Since her release, she has continued to engage in guerrilla performances condemning political repression in Putin's Russia and the war in Ukraine. Tolokonnikova has performed at major music festivals and events worldwide. The Guardian named "Punk Prayer" among the best art pieces of the 21st century, and she's released music with Big Freedia, Tom Morello, MARINA, Boys Noize and Tove Lo.

Tolokonnikova curated an immersive experience at Saatchi and an auction at Sotheby's. In January 2023, she put on an installation, "Putin's Ashes," at the Deitch Gallery. Dallas Contemporary presented her short film. In June 2024, her first museum solo show, "Rage," opened at the OK Center for Contemporary Art in Linz, Austria. She is the author of "How to Start a Revolution" and "Read & Riot: A Pussy Riot Guide to Activism." In March 2023, the Russian government put Tolokonnikova on its wanted list.

About the Moderator

Patricia Restrepo is a curator, writer and researcher based in Houston. She is the assistant curator and exhibitions manager at the Contemporary Arts Museum Houston (CAMH). Restrepo has recently curated "Stage Environment: You Didn't Have to Be There," an exhibition that revisits and reinvigorates CAMH's seventy-year performance focus, and "Dissent and Desire," the institution's 2018 FotoFest Biennial presentation showcasing the daring photographic work of Sunil Gupta and Charan Singh documenting LGBTQ+ lives in Delhi, India.

She manages and contributes to the institution's publication production and has orchestrated the digitization of all of CAMH's catalogs to increase accessibility to the museum's prolific and significant scholarship. Restrepo has curated exhibitions and performance programming at Alabama Song, Hardy and Nance Studios, Houston Center for Photography and Northset Residency. Her curatorial interests include the generative potential latent in archives, museology, and performative work.

Host or Publisher Hobby School of Public Affairs