dallas contemporary is pleased to announce the presentation of nadya tolokonnikova: putin's ashes, a short art film by pussy riot creator, nadya tolokonnikova, on view 8 december 2023 - 8 january 2024. 

the film is the culmination of a performance that took place in august 2022 when pussy riot burned a giant portrait of russian president vladimir putin. during the performance, twelve women, mostly ukrainian, belarusian, or russian, cast spells aimed at chasing putin away from leadership. participating women were required to experience ‘acute hatred and resentment toward the russian president.’ once the portrait was reduced to ashes, these were collected and placed into vials that were later incorporated in ritualistic artworks by tolokonnikova.

“putin's ashes reveals the vulnerability of seemingly unbreakable power structures. this piece is rooted in magical activist thinking. if nothing else, we want to believe that there's a button that can eliminate sexism and bring about justice,” says tolokonnikova.

the performance landed tolokonnikova on putin’s most wanted list and instigated an arrest warrant under the russian ‘pussy riot law,’ a bill imposing jail terms and fines for insulting people's religious feelings, which some have seen as a response to the punk prayer, a 2012 performance by pussy riot at moscow’s cathedral of christ the savior that placed the group and the russian human rights violations it spotlighted on the center stage. 

“we are deeply honored to host the work of nadya tolokonnikova at dallas contemporary, an artist whose voice is dually one of hope and defiance. as an art space that privileges the urgent conversations of our time, we are eager to present our audience with an artist whose commitment to social change at the intersection of artistic practice has inspired millions around the globe. in texas, during a time when personal freedom is under attack, nadya’s commitment and resilience is a reminder that art can indeed change the course of history.” says executive director carolina alvarez-mathies.

putin's ashes is written, directed, edited and scored by nadya tolokonnikova, with camera work by riley bray, stuart ortiz. executive producer: john caldwell.