Performance Activism and The Pussy Riot: Modern Madness or Exceptional Activists

I wanted to explore performance art and performance protest in this week’s blog. Having had exposure to many inanimate visual pieces the last couple of weeks, I wanted to research how performance could be creatively used to challenge rule, ideas and riots. It felt only right to explore the work of the Russian feminist protest punk rock band ‘Pussy Riot’.

Performance activism explores using a moment in time to create a live event that can be recorded and seen. The activist will either uses themselves and/or other participants for others to interoperate.

Set up in 2011, the band holds determined opposition towards President Vladimir Putin who has been holding onto power since 1999. Often discriminating against women, Putin’s rule of Russia sparked anger amidst the female population, leading to the creation of groups such as the Pussy Riot who want to challenge and use performance and dress as a means to oppose authority of the state. Putin has controversial opinions which divide both Russian and the globe in their relationship with the country itself. In particular, Pussy Riot contest against Putin’s views of restricting homosexuality and strict control over the media.

I found the Pussy Patrol’s performance of A Punk Prayer in 2011 particularly interesting in opposition towards Putin’s continued rule over Russia. Performing in Moscow’s Cathedral of Christ the Saviour, the women wear colourful outfits and balaclavas in an expressive rock performance of the song in a place of worship. Totally disrupting the religious silence and respect of such a holy building, the Pussy Patrol perform their anti-Putin protest song to provoke a reaction and express their anger towards his rule. Despite leading to the arrest of two of their members, videos of the performance have hit over 2 million views online.

Eye-catching and strange, they really challenge how we can use our bodies and music to protest against oppressive and corrupt leaders. Needing to get the attention of the rulers and public, breaking conventional rules of music and clothing in Religious buildings was exactly what needed to be done if anything is to change for Russia’s future.

Pussy Riot Website: https://xxpussyriotxx.com

Similar Performance Artists

Carolee Schneemann’s performance of ‘Interior Scroll’, from 1975, also explores using performance as a way to protest against male stereotypes within the feminist movement. During the performance, Schneeman pulls a scroll out from her vagina that contains the harsh criticism that she has had from the male world. Provocative and shocking to an audience, both Schneeman and Pussy Riot are controversial female performances that are shocking, making more noise against an ideology than any grand street protest would.

Exhibitions

Inside Pussy Riot at Saatchi Gallery 2017

Upcoming Performances

Marina Abramović: After Life

https://www.royalacademy.org.uk/exhibition/marina-abramovic

Bibliography

Anon, 2012. Pussy Riot-Punk Prayer. [image] Available at: <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ALS92big4TY&gt; [Accessed 1 May 2020].

Baranchuk, A., 2017. Balaclavas and Putin: Pussy Riot, Carnivalesque Protest, and Political Culture Jamming in Russia. Culture Jamming, NYU Press, pp.365-389.

BBC News. 2013. Pussy Riot: The Story So Far. [online] Available at: <https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-25490161&gt; [Accessed 25 March 2020].

Beaumont-Thomas, B., 2018. Pussy Riot Protest Against Putin Election With New Song. [online] the Guardian. Available at: <https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/mar/19/pussy-riot-protest-putin-russia-elections-new-song&gt; [Accessed 26 March 2020].

Channel 4 News, 2014. Pussy Riot On Prison, Putin, The Ukraine Crisis & Activism. [image] Available at: <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ruMclx5Gy7M&gt; [Accessed 1 May 2020].

Manchester, E., 2003. ‘Interior Scroll’, Carolee Schneemann, 1975 | Tate. [online] Tate. Available at: <https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/schneemann-interior-scroll-p13282&gt; [Accessed 27 March 2020].

March, L., 2009. Managing Opposition in a Hybrid Regime: Just Russia and Parastatal Opposition. Slavic Review, 68(3), pp.504-527.

McQuiston, L., 2015. Visual Impact. Berlin: Phaidon, pp. 33-34, 66-70

Pussy Riot, 2016. Make America Great Again. [image] Available at: <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s-bKFo30o2o&gt; [Accessed 1 May 2020].

Tochka, N., 2013. Pussy Riot, freedom of expression, and popular music studies after the Cold War. Popular Music, 32(2), pp.303-311.