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Nadya Tolokonnivo to Stage 10-Day Performance from Inside Prison Cell

BBG News

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, the punk rock group Pussy Riot staged a brief performance of their song “Punk Prayer” inside Moscow’s Cathedral of Christ the Saviour. This artwork has since been recognized as one of the outstanding pieces of the 21st century, but it led to the imprisonment of Nadya Tolokonnikova, a founding member, for two years under charges of “hooliganism motivated by religious hatred” in Russia. More than ten years later, Tolokonnikova is choosing to return to prison, albeit on her own accord this time.

For ten consecutive days, the Russian conceptual artist intends to isolate herself within a metal reproduction of a Russian prison cell as part of her first extended performance piece titled “POLICE STATE“, which will be showcased at the Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) in Los Angeles. This exhibition is being held under MOCA’s Wonmi WAREHOUSE Program and aims to change the space into a bleak, enveloping panopticon, allowing spectators to monitor her progress through security cameras and peepholes scattered throughout the museum.

1. The Russian conceptual artist will spend ten days living in a steel replica of a Russian jail cell for her inaugural durational performance at MOCA, Los Angeles, as part of the exhibit POLICE STATE. This exhibition is part of MOCA’s Wonmi WAREHOUSE Program and will transform the space into an intense panopticon-like environment, where viewers can watch her via security cameras and peepholes scattered across the museum.

2. For ten days straight, a Russian conceptual artist will be confined to a metal duplicate of a Russian prison cell as part of her initial durational performance at MOCA in LA titled POLICE STATE. This exhibition is under MOCA’s Wonmi WAREHOUSE Program and will metamorphose the space into an oppressive panopticon, offering spectators a chance to observe her through security cameras and peepholes placed all around the museum.

3. In Los Angeles at MOCA, a Russian conceptual artist will be locked away in a steel replica of a Russian prison cell for ten days as part of her debut durational performance titled POLICE STATE, which is being presented through MOCA’s Wonmi WAREHOUSE Program. The exhibition aims to turn the space into an intense panopticon, where viewers can watch her via security cameras and peepholes located throughout the museum.

4. As part of MOCA’s Wonmi WAREHOUSE Program in Los Angeles, a Russian conceptual artist will isolate herself within a metal replica of a Russian prison cell for ten days as part of her first durational performance titled POLICE STATE. The exhibition seeks to transform the space into an oppressive panopticon-like environment, allowing viewers to monitor her via security cameras and peepholes situated throughout the museum.

5. In a steel replica of a Russian prison cell, a Russian conceptual artist will be confined for ten days as part of her debut performance titled POLICE STATE, showcased at MOCA in Los Angeles under the Wonmi WAREHOUSE Program. This exhibition aims to change the space into an intense panopticon, where spectators can watch her through security cameras and peepholes scattered throughout the museum.

Within the confines of the cell, Tolokonnikova will execute a variety of audio compositions, spanning from chilling lullabies to grating soundtracks. Inspired by her own experiences within the penal system, this work blends personal narrative with broader topics such as power dynamics, observation, and mental fortitude under duress.

As a gamer diving into this experience, I find the cell to be an intriguing conundrum: a place of restriction yet freedom, despair yet creativity. Tolokonnikova challenges us, the audience, to grapple with the complexities of oppression while searching for those glimmers of hope that defy it.

This exhibit, titled “POLICE STATE,” delves into the harsh truths of imprisonment and investigates, in a signature Pussy Riot style, the connection between power systems and their effects on human strength and adaptability. The exhibition will be displayed at MOCA from June 4 to Jun 15. For further details, visit the museum’s website.

The Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles
250 S Grand Ave,
Los Angeles, CA 90012

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2025-05-21 19:56

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