Summary
- Pussy Riot co-founder Nadya Tolokonnikova will stage a 10-day-long performance inside a mock Russian jail cell, running from June 4 through 15 at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles.
- The installation explores themes of confinement, control and surveillance, and will be viewable via surveillance camera footage and peepholes.
In 2012, punk rock band Pussy Riot took to Moscow’s Cathedral of Christ the Saviour for a sub-minute performance of their song “Punk Prayer.” While the piece has since been heralded as one of the best artworks of the 21st century, the event landed Nadya Tolokonnikova, the group’s co-founder, in a Russian prison for two years on the grounds of “hooliganism motivated by religious hatred.” Now, over a decade later, Tolokonnikova is going back behind bars, but this time, it’s on her own terms.
For 10 days, the Russian conceptual artist will confine herself to a steel replica of a Russian jail cell as part of POLICE STATE, her debut durational performance at the Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) in Los Angeles. The installation, which takes part in MOCA’s Wonmi WAREHOUSE Program, will transform the space into a stark, immersive panopticon, where viewers will be able to watch her via security camera feed and peepholes throughout the museum.
Inside the cell, Tolokonnikova will perform a range of audio works, from haunting lullabies to abrasive soundscapes. Drawing from her own time in the penal system, the piece merges personal history with larger themes of control, surveillance and psychological endurance.
“The cell becomes a paradox: a site of confinement and liberation, despair and creativity,” the museum described. “Through this interplay, Tolokonnikova invites the audience to grapple with the mechanisms of oppression while seeking the sparks of hope that resist it.”
The performance confronts the brutal realities of confinement, and in true Pussy Riot fashion, examines the relationship between structures of authority and their impacts on the human capacity for resilience. POLICE STATE will be on view from June 4 through Jun 15 at MOCA. Head to the museum’s website for more information.
The Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles
250 S Grand Ave,
Los Angeles, CA 90012
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