Archives August 2024

Nadya Tolokonnikova is not someone who wavers. Best known as a co-originator of Pussy Riot, she has—subsequent to her liberation from incarceration, where she was sentenced to two years on accusations of “hooliganism” for her involvement in Pussy Riot’s “Punk Prayer” demonstration at a Moscow church—established a nonprofit organization to monitor human-rights violations in Russian prisons; launched an autonomous Russian news outlet, Mediazona, which was later defamed by Vladimir Putin’s government as a “foreign agent”; devised an ongoing apparel and accessories line; penned an inspiring and just autobiography along with an activism guide; attained a pop star status; and wed a visionary in the Web3 realm.

More lately, though, amid ongoing political activities, Tolokonnikova has been focusing on the artistic endeavor that lies at the core of nearly all her undertakings. “Rage,” her inaugural museum exhibition encompassing contemporary visual and performance creations, begins tomorrow at OK Linz, a modern art venue in Linz, Austria. (The exhibition is available until October 20.)

The display, organized by Michaela Seiser and Julia Staudach, unravels over two levels and presents 11 pieces from Tolokonnikova’s Icons series of acrylic lettering on canvas; six pieces from her Dark Matter series, incorporating calligraphy and motifs loosely derived from the orthodox cross; her imprisonment records; a video archive of Pussy Riot demonstrations including “Punk Prayer”; a novel piece featuring recycled sex dolls; a duplicate of her Siberian jail cell; and five art films—including, notably, “Putin’s Ashes,” which premiered last year at Jeffrey Deitch in Los Angeles, was recently acquired for the ongoing collection of the Brooklyn Museum, and is marking its European premiere at OK Linz.

The initial chamber, “Rage Chapel,” showcases works from the Icons series—among them, the triptych My Motherland Loves Me and I Love My Motherland, alluding to both Joseph Beuys’s I Like America and America Likes Me and Oleg Kulik’s I Bite America and America Bites Me—alongside Pussy Riot’s 2014 enactment at the Sochi Olympics, “Putin Will Teach You How to Love the Motherland,” which observed Tolokonnikova and her co-performers being assaulted, whipped, and tossed to the ground by Cossack militia. The subsequent chamber is centered around “Putin’s Ashes,” an installation inspired by a 2022 enactment at an undisclosed site featuring 12 Pussy Riot contributors from Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus incinerating a 10-foot-tall likeness of Vladimir Putin, with the residues later bottled and labeled. Suspending above the staircase leading to the second level is a colossal inscribed knife, Damocles Sword, encircled by three lofty velvet banners, with Tolokonnikova’s calligraphy reiterating an incantation: “Love is stronger than death.” (Another triptych, Love Is Stronger Than Fear, honors Tolokonnikova’s friend and ally Alexey Navalny, who faced fatality in a Russian penal establishment in February.)

È sempre un piacere incontrare Jay-Z—principalmente perché potrebbe implicare che Beyoncé sia nelle vicinanze—ma la sua presenza ai Tony Awards del 2024 è stata particolarmente entusiasmante. Certamente, lui e Alicia Keys hanno eseguito “Empire State of Mind” dal vivo insieme in passato, ma ascoltare i cantanti unirsi su questo brano vincitore di un Grammy ai Tony è stato un adeguato omaggio a Hell’s Kitchen, il contesto della cerimonia a New York City, e, di fatto, all’istituzione newyorkese che è Broadway.

L’energia della canzone—che è seguita alla performance iniziale di Ariana DeBose di una canzone originale intitolata “This Party’s for You”—non è stata affievolita dal fatto che Jay-Z si è tecnicamente unito al brano tramite collegamento video dal foyer del David H. Koch Theater (un fatto che non è sfuggito sui social media). Tuttavia, l’esibizione è stata indiscutibilmente divertente e ha apportato una gradita nota di orgoglio locale agli eventi, che negli anni passati sono stati messi alla prova dalle chiusure COVID a Broadway e da uno sciopero della WGA che ha costretto l’edizione precedente dei Tony a svolgersi senza copione.

“Trinket,” Kapwani Kiwanga’s showcase at the Canadian Pavilion during this edition of the Venice Biennale, exudes a delightful simplicity and tactile allure. This arises not only from the fundamental elements—millions of minuscule glass beads crafted on the nearby Murano island, renowned for its glassmaking heritage spanning over six hundred years, meticulously arranged into flowing drapes that line the edifice—but also from the calming arrangement of hues that transition from gradients to subtle shifts based on viewpoint: soft yellow, sunset orange, white, maroon, and the extraordinary, cherished cobalt adorning the pavilion’s facade, fluttering in the Venetian Lagoon’s breeze.

This enveloping setting, enveloping both the venue’s interior and exterior, introduces a vastness (and sheer allure) to what is undoubtedly one of the tiniest galleries within the Giardini—installations boasting such captivating aesthetic traits are notably scarce here recently. “Contemporary art is often unsightly,” a fellow evaluator comments while we admire the creation. My mind barely dwells on that thought when I catch a guard sternly reprimanding a guest for inadvertently touching the bead curtain: “Each bead is handcrafted and strung individually—all entirely by hand!”

This significance is further amplified by the fact that Kapwani Kiwanga, a Canadian-born artist residing in Paris and the first Black female artist chosen for her nation’s pavilion, perceives the diverse materials she engages with as narratives or chroniclers, carriers of past events, economic systems, and cultural narratives. Her methodology is heavily research-driven; she calculates that around 70% of her process involves research, with the remaining 30% dedicated to creation.

In “Trinket,” the minute seed beads, or conterie, embody a profound history that traces back to the 15th century when they journeyed from Murano via trade paths connecting Europe, Africa, and the Americas. Beyond serving as currency in certain regions (conterie originates from the term for accounting), these glass beads wove into local material foreign cultures, surfacing in ornaments and garments and gaining crucial ceremonial, visual, and symbolic importance. The exhibition delves into this network of commerce, dominance dynamics, influences, and cultural interchange, while scrutinizing the uneven perceptions and attributed worth of these seed beads (for example, European merchants viewed them as mere frivolities), and thoughtfully reflecting on the enduring impact of the transatlantic trade routes.