Episode 5 - Nadya Tolokonnikova

Show notes

In this episode, art critic Silke Hohmann talks to artist and activist Nadya Tolokonnikova, whose art is inseparable from her political activism. She shares how her critique has shaped her artistic practice, and why it is a great feeling to reproduce her former prison cell as an art installation.

The co-founder of Pussy Riot performed a punk concert in a Moscow church in 2012 and was subsequently sent to prison for two years. In this podcast episode, she reflects on the consequences this had for her personally and for her art. The replica of her cell in the Siberian penal colony is on display until June 6 at Galerie Nagel Draxler, where it made a lasting impression during Gallery Weekend 2025.

We also learn about her artistic upbringing and the role Russian icons play in her visual language. One of her paintings in her show in Berlin reads: ‘Yes, sex is great, but have you ever fucked the system?’ Nadya Tolokonnikova has.