POLICE STATE @ MOCA: Pussy Riot’s Nadya Tolokonnikova’s durational performance exhibit
June 5 @ 8:00 am - June 14 @ 5:00 pm MST
In POLICE STATE, Nadya Tolokonnikova (b. 1989 Norilsk, Russia) explores the omnipresent mechanisms of control, surveillance, and the alienation of living under systems of power that seek to dominate the body, mind, and spirit. The work transforms WAREHOUSE into a visceral representation of a panopticon—a space where the watcher and the watched exist in a perpetual dance of oppression, resistance, and exposure.
This durational performance takes the form of a confined cell —a symbolic nucleus of human resilience to state power. Inside, Tolokonnikova performs a spectrum of soundscapes, from eerie, haunted lullabies to bursts of harsh noise. The cell becomes both a prison and a sanctuary, a space where despair meets defiance, and silence gives way to the radical act of creation. While POLICE STATE confronts the brutality of control, it also insists on the possibility of catharsis and connection. The cell becomes a paradox: a site of confinement and liberation, despair and creativity. Through this interplay, Tolokonnikova invites the audience to grapple with the mechanisms of oppression while seeking the sparks of hope that resist it.
Nadya Tolokonnikova is a conceptual performance artist, activist, and the creator of Pussy Riot, a global feminist art movement. In 2012, she received a two-year prison term following the anti-Putin performance Punk Prayer, which The Guardian later named among the best artworks of the 21st century. In 2023, Tolokonnikova’s installation, Putin’s Ashes, at Jeffrey Deitch Gallery, Los Angeles, propelled her into a new criminal case and put her on Russia’s most wanted criminal list. Her debut museum exhibition RAGE, (2024) was presented at OK Linz, Austria, and the eponymous performance at Neue Nationalgalerie, Germany. Tolokonnikova’s work is in the collections of The Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles; The Brooklyn Museum, New York; Dallas Museum of Art, Dallas; Museum of Art and Design, New York; and the American Folk Art Museum, New York, among others. With thanks to Galerie Nagel Draxler, Berlin and Honor Fraser Gallery, Los Angeles.
Wonmi’s WAREHOUSE Programs is organized by Alex Sloane, Associate Curator, and is produced by Amelia Charter, Producer of Performance and Programs with Michele Huizar, Performance Coordinator, The Museum of Contemporary Art Los Angeles.
Wonmi’s WAREHOUSE Programs is founded by Wonmi & Kihong Kwon and Family.
Performances at MOCA are supported by the MOCA Fund for Performance with generous funding provided by Betsy Greenberg and The Lenore S. and Bernard A. Greenberg Fund.
Nadya Tolokonnikova’s durational performance will be at MOCA Geffen Contemporary the following days:
Thursday June 5: 11am–5pm
Friday June 6: 11am–8pm
Saturday June 7: 11am–6pm
Sunday June 8: 11am–6pm
Monday June 9: CLOSED
Tuesday June 10: CLOSED
Wednesday June 11: CLOSED
Thursday June 12: 11am–5pm
Friday June 13: 11am–5pm
Saturday June 14: 11am–6pm
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Nadya Tolokonnikova – art, education, exhibitions bio
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What: POLICE STATE durational performance
When: Thursday, June 5 — Saturday, June 14
Where: WAREHOUSE at The Geffen Contemporary at MOCA
152 North Central Avenue Los Angeles, CA 90012
Admission: Free with RSVP
More info: here
What: Artist Talk Panel & Pussy Riot Siberia Performance
When: Sunday, June 15 from 3-6pm
Where: WAREHOUSE at The Geffen Contemporary at MOCA
152 North Central Avenue Los Angeles, CA 90012
Admission:(SOLD OUT)
More info: here
Gold Atlas represents:
All Things Go festival, Angèle, Boys Noize, Charlotte de Witte, Frameline Film Festival (LGBTQ+ in SF 6.18-28), IHEARTCOMIX creative agency, Keinemusik, Nadya Tolokonnikova, Nelly Ben Hayoun – Stépanian, Neon Gold Records (The Knocks, Mollie Elizabeth, Raissa, Cult of Venus, Gilanares etc), Pomme, Pvssy Riot, Rahim Redcar / Christine and the Queens, Tommy Cash (Eurovision #3 winner from Estonia), Vendredi sur Mer