Nadezhda Tolokonnikova
Nadezhda Tolokonnikova
Nadezhda Andreyevna Tolokonnikova, nicknamed "Nadya Tolokno", is a Russian conceptual artist and political activist. She is a member of the anti-Putinist punk rock group Pussy Riot, and has a history of political activism with the controversial street art group Voina. On August 17, 2012, she was convicted of "hooliganism motivated by religious hatred" after a performance in Moscow Cathedral of Christ the Saviour and sentenced to two years' imprisonment. On December 23, 2013, she was released early with another Pussy...
NationalityRussian
ProfessionArtist
Date of Birth7 November 1989
CountryRussian Federation
Nadezhda Tolokonnikova quotes about
As a child, I wanted to go into advertising. I had a love affair with the advertising industry.
The words we spoke and our entire punk performance aimed to express our disapproval of a specific political event: the patriarchs' support of Vladimir Putin, who has taken an authoritarian and anti-feminist course.
It is possible to tolerate anything as long as it only affects you. But the method of collective punishment is bigger than that.
Modern capitalism seeks to assure us that it operates according to the principles of free creativity, endless development and diversity. It glosses over its other side in order to hide the reality that millions of people are enslaved by an all-powerful and fantastically stable norm of production. We want to reveal this lie.
We are the rebels asking for the storm, and believing that truth is only to be found in an endless search. If the 'World Spirit' touches you, do not expect that it will be painless.
I will not remain silent, resigned to watch as my fellow prisoners collapse under the strain of slavery-like conditions.
I gained an inner peace, the serenity of a prisoner, so to speak.
Every woman with a career has to make sacrifices when it comes to her children. It's no different with me, as a political activist, than with businesswomen, of which there are thankfully more and more in Russia. Or a female cabinet minister.
Men should also pay attention to their appearance and occasionally use cosmetics.
I believe in fate. And in the depths of my soul, I am an Orthodox Christian. I think the New Testament is especially important. What Jesus and his disciples preached and did was a great thing.
I also dreamt about finally meeting the leftist Slovenian philosopher Slavoj Žižek. He is a great role model for me.
I was treated better than others, simply because there was so much public attention. In my case, they did adhere to the eight-hour workday required by law. The other women were often forced to slave away for up to 16 hours a day.