Conceptual performance artist and Pussy Riot creator Nadya Tolokonnikova has released her new 232-page book, POLICE STATE, which serves as a powerful document of her 10-day performance exhibition at MOCA in Los Angeles from June 2025. The book weaves a comprehensive narrative of resistance, featuring photographs, prison letters, etchings, artwork by fellow Russian political prisoners, and essential documentation of the ICE and No Kings Day protests held outside the museum during her exhibit. This documentation is receiving critical attention, with Tolokonnikova’s durational performance installation at MOCA being named #6 in ARTnews’ list of The Defining Artworks of 2025, further emphasizing the cultural significance of her fearless activism.
Tolokonnikova, who was sentenced to two years in prison following the anti-Putin “Punk Prayer” in 2012, continues to push boundaries: her 2023 “Putin’s Ashes” installation landed her on Russia’s most wanted criminal list. Her commitment to political resistance and feminist art has led to multiple solo shows in 2025, including exhibits at Honor Fraser gallery and Nagel Draxler, and her work is now held in the collections of major institutions like The Brooklyn Museum and Dallas Museum of Art.