Nadya Tolokonnikova is a Russian conceptual artist, author, and political activist, and one of the founding members of Pussy Riot. Her staunch activism in her home country of Russia saw her imprisoned in 2012 following a work of political performance art inside the Moscow Cathedral of Christ the Saviour. Throughout her career she has published books, written essays, released music and fought against corruption and human rights violations. In a special essay for WePresent, Nadya published a manifesto on behalf of herself and Pussy Riot, which spoke about why it’s important to explore your own rules, rather than live by someone else’s. Nadya was the co-winner of the prestigious Hannah Arendt Prize for Political Thought in 2014.
