Nadya Tolokonnikova is an artist, activist and founder of the feminist protest collective Pussy Riot. Working at the intersection of performance, music, visual art and political action, her practice challenges authoritarianism, censorship and systems of power, transforming acts of resistance into works of cultural significance. For more than a decade, she has been one of the most recognisable voices advocating for freedom of expression, gender equality and human rights.

Born in Norilsk, Siberia, Tolokonnikova co-founded Pussy Riot in 2011, a radical feminist art collective whose interventions combined performance, protest and political critique. International attention followed Punk Prayer (2012), the anti-authoritarian performance that led to her imprisonment in a Russian penal colony. Rather than silencing her, the experience became a catalyst for an expanded practice spanning art, writing, music and activism. Through projects that move fluidly between galleries, public space and digital platforms, Tolokonnikova has continued to explore how creativity can become a tool for dissent, solidarity and social change.

Nadya’s relationship with CIRCA reflects a shared belief in the power of public art to confront urgent political realities. In 2023, she presented Nadya Means Hope, a major public commission broadcast across CIRCA’s global network of screens. Combining personal testimony with a wider call for resistance and collective action, the work transformed public space into a platform for dialogue about freedom, courage and the responsibilities of citizenship. Alongside the commission, CIRCA published 50 One Dollar Bills, a large-scale screen print that reimagined the iconography of American currency through the lens of feminist activism, with proceeds supporting the Art Riot Fund.

Named among TIME Magazine’s most influential people and recognised internationally for her artistic and political activism, Tolokonnikova continues to redefine what art can achieve in the public sphere. Whether through performance, publishing, music or direct action, her work insists that creativity is not separate from politics, but one of its most powerful instruments.