Velvet Terrorism: Pussy Riot’s Russia: a trail-blazingly poignant blend of performance art, music, documentation, feminism & activism

Velvet Terrorism: Pussy Riot’s Russia, is a groundbreaking exhibition that chronologically documents 50 non-violent protest actions (over the decade prior to the full-scale invasion of Ukraine), as well as the consequent reactions by Vladimir Putin and his regime. The Russian activist art collective Pussy Riot was formed in Moscow in 2011 and has become an iconic symbol of opposition to Putin’s increasingly oppressive Russia. One of the members happens to be a former police officer who realized that her time would be better spent as a member of Pussy Riot. In contrast to the war censorship taking place in Russia (which has censored much of Pussy Riot’s own work), this exhibit is a celebration of truth and power. The collective have received the 2012 Lennon Ono Grant for Peace, the Hannah Arendt Prize in 2014 and the Woody Guthrie Prize in 2023 which honours the spirit of resistance through art.

The show was originally envisioned and presented at Kling & Bang in Reykjavik, led by curators Ragnar Kjartansson and Ingibjörg Sigurjónsdóttir with Pussy Riot member Maria Alyokhina who was wearing an ankle tag when she first met them. The show has since traveled to prestigious venues like the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art and the Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal, and has now been installed at the Polygon Gallery in North Vancouver as part of the Capture Photography Festival. The exhibit is the largest collection of Pussy Riot’s work to date and the curators view it as an important art historical movement which touches the genres of performance art, feminist art and political art. They take their inspiration from punk bands and feminist activists from Russian history.   

This exhibition had the longest installation in the gallery’s history. It is an emotional, graphic and energetic show, displayed almost like a personal journal/scrapbook with a charmingly ‘DIY’ approach. Brightly coloured walls are adorned with photographs, jauntily secured to the wall at angles with neon tape, alongside hand-scribbled testimonies, song lyrics and reflections. Cartoon portraits of the band members with their iconic neon bandanas are sprinkled throughout the exhibit as arrows direct you to read snippets of descriptive details that are poetic and raw. 

The juxtaposition between this playfulness and the seriousness of the content  where the magic happens. As Maria Alyokhina puts it, “You definitely can fight the dictatorship and authoritarian regime with your brain, using colors opposite to gray, providing your voice which can be as loud as you want.” Sound and video of their performances, riots and arrests, with mocking slogans like ‘Putin Peed his Pants’ mimic the provocative and gloriously obnoxious tone; prepare for an immersive experience. 

The collective aim is to disarm fear through humour. Pivotal performances include running across a football pitch during the World Cup in 2018, flying a rainbow flag on a government building to ‘celebrate’ Putin’s birthday and ‘attacking’ the main KGB building with paper planes. The Punk Prayer in Moscow’s Cathedral of Christ the Saviour is another documented action in the form of a flash mob song. It was performed in response to Putin’s use of the Church as a propaganda tool during 2012 in an effort to win his third term. The church presented him as a miracle, carrying out God’s work so what ensued was a video of a 45-second song, full of sarcastic lyrics in which the group boldly and unapologetically play with fire. Although there was no police action at the performance, a criminal case was opened and they had to hide for a week before they were found and arrested for ‘hooliganism motivated by religious hatred.’ Instead of being called ‘witches’ and the like, they were now considered enemies of the state or terrorists. Hundreds of thousands of people had come out to protest Putin’s third term peacefully yet many arrests were made, and Red Square near the Kremlin in Moscow (the chosen ‘venue’ for the 8-woman rendition of Putin Peed his Pants) is now surrounded by metal fences and police.

The exhibition not only showcases Pussy Riot’s activism but also illustrates the personal sacrifices made by its members. From imprisonment in a penal colony where Maria was made to work six twelve-hour days per week sewing police uniforms, and was punished for oversleeping, to hunger strikes, blocked bank accounts, travel bans, house arrest (in one instance for a tweet in support of Alexei Navalny) to being put on federal watch lists, they have faced relentless persecution for their art and activism. The Free Pussy Riot movement then became global with Madonna, Yoko Ono, Time Magazine and countless other celebrities and outlets raising awareness. In 2014, members were released two months before the end of their two-year term due to pressure surrounding the Olympic Games. Members won three out of four cases against the prison administration, demonstrating their unwavering commitment to human rights and social justice.  

Pussy Riot later decided to flee Russia, along with one million like-minded Russians, after the war began. You may wonder why these activists want to share their work within a gallery as it is another institution. The curators, along with the band members, had complete freedom to showcase their work in a way that worked for them. In this very dark era of Russia’s history, the band explained that they are ready to use any platform they are given to spread their message to free political prisoners in Russia and help Ukraine win the war against Russia. They feel that one of their biggest responsibilities is to keep the world in balance as democracy is fragile. 

Velvet Terrorism: Pussy Riot’s Russia at The Polygon Gallery is more than an art exhibition; it’s a testament to the power of art as a tool for social change, and to help visitors better understand politics and the inequalities and injustices that are happening, and to provide a strong call to action. As visitors walk through the gallery, they are invited to witness and feel the context that led to their actions, face their struggles and above all be informed and inspired by Pussy Riot’s unyielding spirit, camaraderie, bravery, defiance and of course, their sense of humour.