Nadya Tolokonnikova is a Russian conceptual artist, political activist, and the founder of the art collective Pussy Riot, which has been the world’s most prominent art group in recent years and a global symbol of activism. In 2012 Nadya was sentenced to 2 years’ imprisonment following an anti-Putin performance by Pussy Riot in Moscow’s Cathedral of Christ the Saviour. Shortly after her release in December 2013 Nadya announced the opening of an independent Russian news service Mediazona.

She has spoken before the US Congress, British Parliament, European Parliament to fight and advocate for human rights in Russia. Besides lecturing as an honorary speaker at many universities, including Harvard and Cambridge, she received an honorary degree at RISD.

Nadya’s published two books; Read & Riot: A Pussy Riot Guide to Activism (HarperOne, 2018) and Comradely Greetings: The prison letters of Nadya and Slavoj (co-written with Slavoj Zizek, 2014). She is subject in the documentary Pussy Riot: A Punk Prayer (HBO, 2013) and appeared as herself on Netflix’s House of Cards. Netflix original series Russian Doll included the track “Organs” in Episode 7, during the credits. The Spy Who Dumped Me (2018), a comedy starring Mila Kunis, has Nadya’s “Bad Girls” as a soundtrack.