David Byrne To Present Pussy Riot’s Nadya With Award At American Folk Art Museum
On May 16, Nadya Tolokonnikova, the iconic artist, activist, and visionary behind Pussy Riot will present an incredible, not-to-be-missed event as a benefit for the American Folk Art Museum in New York City. Joining her is legendary musician, former Talking Heads frontman and artist David Byrne, who will present Nadya with the Dynamic Achievements in the Arts Award, celebrating her outstanding work as a self-taught artist.
The evening will feature a performance from Nadya, as well as an in-depth conversation with Brooklyn Museum’s Carmen Hermo. Byrne joined the benefit for the Museum last year in 2023 which included the artist and musician Lonnie Holley, as well as the Sun Ra Arkestra, & Suzanne Vega. Nadya will be debuting a new performance project, code named PUSSY RIOT – SIBERIA, which she teased on social media X.
Nadya said, “For me, Pussy Riot has always been an expression of primal rage that is also informed by my beginnings in the Moscow Conceptual Underground. I will be channelling that rage into a metaphysical system of punishing sound waves, pure and transcendent. We aim to produce a tower of sound as black and brutal as Norilsk, the Siberian city where I grew up, a tower of sound to reach up into the sky and annihilate the ills of the world. It’s an honor for the first public performance of this to be with David Byrne’s introduction, as he has always challenged what it means to be an artist, musician and performer.”
David Byrne said, “I’m a fan of what is often referred to as “outsider art.” Definitions and categories are tricky…This year’s benefit event will feature an amazing and surprising combination of artwork, music, and performance by Nadya Tolokonnikova, the creator of Pussy Riot. Much like the artists in the Museum’s collection, Nadya identifies as a self-taught artist and is not restricted by creative, social and cultural boundaries. She is also politically brave – an all-too-rare quality for many of us.
“Nadya is something to aspire to, and I hope you will join me at the event to celebrate her and the American Folk Art Museum on May 16.”
Prior to the 7pm event, Nadya will present her newest body of artwork entitled DARK MATTER exclusively to patrons of the event. Proceeds support the American Folk Art Museum’s educational programs.
Tolokonnikova’s first solo museum show will take place this June at OK Linz in Linz, Austria. The show, titled RAGE, opens on June 21 and will include the newest art series, DARK MATTER (laser engraving on birch), as well as a performance of PUSSY RIOT – SIBERIA.