Protest art collective Pussy Riot have been awarded the 2023 Woody Guthrie Prize, which is given every year to an artist who exemplifies the late singer’s “spirit and work by speaking for the less fortunate” and “serving as a positive force for social change.”
Though Pussy Riot don’t make anything close to folk music, the Russian feminist protest and performance art group certainly fit the bill, as founding member Nadya Tolokonnikova pointed out in a statement. “It feels fitting to be awarded in the spirit of Woody, I think he would love Pussy Riot’s anti-fascist message,” she said. “We don’t really do folk, but we don’t really do punk either, we simply scream and protest as loud as we can, and hope we can show others they can do the same.”
She continued, “Like Woody said, any fool can make something complicated, our message is clear and simple. Anyone can be Pussy Riot. Riot. Riot. Resist. Oh and a quick reminder to Vladimir Putin and anyone who supports his Z regime… All you fascists are bound to lose.”
Cady Shaw, director of the Woody Guthrie Center, added, “As artists who, like Woody Guthrie, have the courage of their convictions, there are no contemporary artists more worthy of this recognition than Pussy Riot. They have paid a very personal price for speaking their minds on the most serious issues of our time, yet they continue to fight for justice and freedom.”
Formed in Moscow in 2011, several members of Pussy Riot have landed in Russian prisons for speaking up against human rights issues. In February 2022, Tolokonnikova launched an NFT to aid Ukraine during the beginning of the war against Russia. Last May, fellow Pussy Riot member Maria Alyokhina made a daring escape from her home country while disguised as a food courier. She had been serving what amounts to house arrest in Moscow, but was about to face 21 days in a penal colony.
Alyokhina, Tolokonnikova, Olga Borisova, and Diana Burkot will all be on hand to accept the prize on behalf of the collective at Cain’s Ballroom in Tulsa, Oklahoma on Saturday, May 6th. They follow in the footsteps of Bruce Springsteen, Mavis Staples, Chuck D, and Joan Baez before them.
Pussy Riot released their debut mixtape, MATRIARCHY NOW, last August. Next up, they have a run of North American and European dates beginning in April. Tickets are available now via StubHub, where orders are 100% guaranteed through StubHub’s FanProtect program.
Editor’s note: This article has been corrected to reflect Pussy Riot are no longer playing with Avenged Sevenfold.
