If you've spent any time following the Pussy Riot movement, consider the above video the next imperative entry in your syllabus.
As one of the Frieze Art Fair's highlights, Nadya Tolokonnikova and Masha Alekhina of the Russian feminist art collective joined David Remnick of The New Yorker for a probing conversation about their inspirations, beginnings, and scorn for Vladimir Putin.
It's probably worth mentioning now that most of the interview is conducted in Russian. Still, it's fascinating to hear the formerly imprisoned activists speak (via translator) about the history of the protest movement in Russia. During university they joined forces upon the announcement that Putin would be president as an effort to "change the situation and speak out."
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But, getting there wasn't easy. After planning an event about the history of the Russian feminist punk movement, the women realized that there really wasn't such a thing. That gave them 12 hours to create such a movement -- time they used to write a protest song.
Fame soon followed, which eventually led to being put on a blacklist, going on hunger strikes, and imprisonment. It's an understatement to say that there's no love lost between Pussy Riot and Putin, who recently banned some obscene slang words. The reason, they argue, is that those words are used in an old football song that roughly translates to "Putin Is a Dick."
Watch the video for the full interview. Don't blame us if you feel like fighting the power afterward. (New Yorker)