Who is Pussy Riot? NFT artist who uses the NFT to fight for gender equality
Nadya Tolokonnikova, one of the leaders of the Russian feminist punk rock band Pussy Riot, has tried on many titles in her life: performance artist, feminist, co-founder of the punk band Pussy Riot, prisoner, foreign agent (according to the Russian government), poetess, mother. And now, it has become an integral part of the NFT ecosystem. In this iteration of her career, Tolokonnikova not only creates her NFTs as a new form of social activism, but also supports crypto artists.
Who is Pussy Riot?
The Pussy Riot group has been famous since 2011 for its performances in the form of unauthorized actions in Russian public places. The ideology of the group provides for the support of feminism, the fight against law enforcement agencies, the protection of the LGBT community, anti-Putinism, and the radical decentralization of government in Russia. Despite the absence of a permanent composition in the group, the co-founder and member Nadya Tolokonnikova became the ideological leader and the most media face of the group. It is with her that the name of the group is associated around the world today.
They gained global fame all over the world after performing at the Cathedral of Christ the Savior in the winter of 2012 with a song called “Punk Praye”.
A few weeks after the action, the leaders of the group, including Nadya Tolokonnikova, were arrested on charges of “hooliganism.” This process has become an international affair. At 22, she received a sentence of 3 years. In December 2013, the girls were granted an amnesty, and after their release they made a tour of the United States. After her release, Nadya Tolokonnikova continued her activism, protesting against injustice and advocating social change.
They carried out their last large-scale action in Russia to date in 2018, when they broke into the football field during the World Cup. And their viral videos are gaining millions of views around the world. Now, more and more, the activist devotes herself to crypto art, where she also fiercely fights for her cause and the rights of artists.
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Pussy Riot Official Links
- Official site https://riotdays.com
- Twitter @pussyrrriotย – over 243k followers;
- Instagram @nadyariotย – over 235k subscribers,
- Instagram @pussyriot – over 172k subscribers;
- Youtube @wearepussyriot – over 131k subscribers.
The creative path of the Pussy Riot: from Russian prison to NFT
Speaking of Pussy Riot in the context of the NFT, we will be talking about Nadya Tolokonnikova, co-founder and thought leader of the group in the midst of criminal prosecution and worldwide attention. Today, it is she who actively represents the group on the crypto scene.
Nadya Tolokonnikova was born in Norilsk on November 7, 1989. At the age of 17, she moved to Moscow and entered the Faculty of Philosophy at Moscow State University. In 2011, she became a co-founder of the Pussy Riot movement, where she was responsible for the musical project.
Over the years of the active existence of the group, the team has received many international awards and recognitions by famous world figures:
- For her active social position, Time magazine in 2012 named Nadia “Woman of the Year”.
- In August 2012, Pussy Riot’s ‘Punk Prayer’ was nominated for the Kandinsky Prize in the ‘Project of the Year’ category, but was not included in the final list of nominees.
- In September 2012, convicted participants were the first in Russia to receive the John Lennon Peace Prize, awarded to defenders of human rights and peace.
- In October 2012, group was ranked #57 on ArtReview’s Top 100 Most Influential People in Contemporary Art.
- In November 2012, group was ranked 16th in Foreign Policy’s 100 Most Influential Thinkers of the Year.
- In December 2012, the convicted members of group were included in the list of the most impressive people of the year according to the American news portal Business Insider, ranking 15th out of 20 on the list.
- In January 2014, group was nominated for the NME Awards in the categories Hero of 2013 and Musical Moment of the Year.
One of the high-profile performances in support of the group during their arrest in Russia was Madonna’s performance during her massive solo concert.
— ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ฆ (@pussyrrriot) December 4, 2022
To date, Nadya Tolokonnikova and Pussy Riot are actively campaigning against the war in Ukraine and raising funds to support social institutions, the Ukrainian government and the local population.
Pussy Riot in the NFT world
In recent years, Pussy Riot has come to the conclusion that the fundraising and organizational capacity of decentralized platforms fully embraces the NFT ecosystem as a new channel of subversion.
In 2021, Nadya Tolokonnikova also became an active participant in the crypto market. And here she saw one of the main problems – gender inequality among artists and the lack of diversity. Therefore, in order to support, UnicornDAO, a cryptocurrency investment fund, was launched together with John Caldwell. Nadia sees this move as a new milestone for herself as a leader building the feminist future she has fought for since she was a teenager.
Our goal is to change the statistics. Between five and seven percent of global NFT sales come from female artistsโand that’s definitely not enough. Nadya Tolokonnikova said
UnicornDAO is first and foremost an art collector funds whose members are willing to invest in projects by women and non-binary artists. In addition, the foundation is dedicated to developing the careers of these artists by helping them navigate the possibilities of Web3 and the digital art industry.
To date, UnicornDAO has raised over $10 million, is actively supporting UkraineDAO fundraising, and has acquired over $2 million worth of artwork. Participants include Yuga Labs, MoonPay, World of Women, Tribute Labs, and Beeple.
When I entered the NFT space, I realized that there are people who are ready to invest and who care about human rights issues.
Today, Pussy Riot is a prominent participant and already an integral part of the crypto market. They are in close circles with many influencers, famous artists and major studios, including CryptoPunks and Yuga Labs.
About last night…@icamiami @pussyrrriot pic.twitter.com/jRhZgLvDVw
— CryptoPunks (@cryptopunksnfts) December 3, 2022
Insert more @pussyrrriot footage from (mosh pit) @cryptopunksnfts x @icamiami event #NovoMiami
Here๐ pic.twitter.com/zCk45I2hXX— CryptoNovo (@CryptoNovo311) December 5, 2022
But Nadya Tolokonnikova is not only involved in media and organizational issues. She is an active NFT artist herself. In March 2021, she minted her first collection called “Panic Attack”. It was with this project that a new round in her career began. This was followed by the collection of Pussy Riot ACAB, which also attracted public attention.
NFT corporate identity for NFTs by Pussy Riot
As such, the artistic style in Pussy Riot’s work cannot be traced, but all works are ideologically united. Nadia has successfully brought her fight for gender equality and political freedom to the NTF space. In each of her works, social problems are raised, to which the artist thus draws the attention of society.
It is so important for activists not to look away from new technologies, and even if some things are scary, just go there and confront them. The artist herself speaks about this
The most famous NFTs by Pussy Riot
Nadya Tolokonnikova from Pussy Riot released only 2 collections, but both are really bright and socially loud. Thanks to its activity and the activities of the digital art, the works were sold for more than 2 million dollars.
Panic Attack NFT Collection
The collection consists of four unique fragments. Works of art are dedicated to the unreasonable destruction of the planet, the alienation of people and objectification. Proceeds from sales go to support a women’s shelter located in Eastern Europe.
4 NFTs of Panic Attack:
- Terrestrial paradise depicts an innocent, happy, utopian world where the woman is still in harmony with her environment. Work was sold as a result of an auction on March 15, 2021 for 100 ETH ($184k at the time of sale) on the Foundation site.
- Slaughtered clones depict a world in which a woman loses her grace and meets her clones, who are being prepared for processing in a toxic factory. Work was auctioned on March 22, 2021 for 13.4431 ETH ($24k at the time of sale) on the Foundation floor.
- Rivers of blood depicts a dystopian world of nuclear winter where all fresh water turns into blood. The whole world has become a poisonous wasteland with acid rain and black snow. Work was sold in an auction on March 28, 2021 for 22 ETH ($37k at the time of sale) on the Foundation site.
- Doomsday boss fight showcases the most difficult battle that can be – with yourself. Work was auctioned on April 5, 2021 for 43 ETH ($89k at the time of sale) on the Foundation floor.
Pussy Riot ACAB NFT Collection
In September 2021, Pussy Riot released a vibrant collection on OpenSea. It includes hand-drawn images of the group’s mood on a digitized copy of her actual 2012 prison sentence. Proceeds from the project go to support victims of domestic violence in Russia.
I decided to work with paperwork from my prison termโฆ I wanted to transform my traumatic experience into something positive.Narrated by Nadya Tolokonnikova
A few figures about the collection today:
- A total of 333 images in the collection,
- The volume of secondary sales exceeded 672 ETH (more than 2 million dollars at the time of sale),
- The minimum price is 0.24 ETH,
- The most expensive NFT “Virgin Mary, please become a feminist” was sold separately in an auction format on the SuperRare site on October 1 for 40 ETH (over $135k at the time of sale).
Where can you buy NFTs by Pussy Riot?
Now NFTs by Pussy Riot are available only on the secondary market, namely on such marketplaces as OpenSea, SuperRare, Foundation. In addition, you can follow the future updates on the artist’s Twitter.
Opinion of NFTMetria
Having a resonant and world-famous reputation, Pussy Riot, making any step in the media space, automatically attracts everyone’s attention. And now it’s the turn of the crypto market. Despite all the promises to break stereotypes, the global NFT market is as โmasculineโ as the traditional art market, meaning it is dominated by male artists.
Capital is still largely concentrated in the hands of men. Men still own the world and that’s not cute.This is how feminist Nadya Tolokonnikova responds
Raising the issues of gender inequality, infringement of the rights of the LGBTQ+ community, Pussy Riot is a prominent and respected representative in the NFT community. This digital art is not a way to make money or a path to fame. This is all they have. Crypto creation and the creation of UnicornDAO is a personal opinion, a challenge to society, attracting public attention and organizing help for those in need.
