Velvet Terrorism: Pussy Riot’s Russia

In the organizer's words:

What does resistance mean in art and which stories must be an integral part of exhibitions today? "Velvet Terrorism: Pussy Riot's Russia" at Haus der Kunst is the largest presentation of the artistic collective's work to date and the first museum exhibition in Germany dedicated to Pussy Riot.

By depicting the increasingly hostile relationship between the feminist art collective and the state authorities, the exhibition offers essential insights into the development of Putin's Russia over the last decade, culminating in the military invasion of Ukraine. Over the years, Pussy Riot's artistic practice has transformed the repressive tools of an authoritarian state into a collaborative force for creativity, fearlessly taking risks.

The exhibition is presented in the LSK Gallery, located in the air-raid shelter of Haus der Kunst, a place where the challenging past of the building, which opened in 1937, is more palpable. "Velvet Terrorism: Pussy Riot's Russia" follows solo exhibitions by African-American artist Tony Cokes (2022) and Indigenous Australian-based film collective Karrabing (2023), which depict overlooked histories through new linguistic devices. Like both previous exhibitions in the former bunker, "Velvet Terrorism: Pussy Riot's Russia" aims to push the boundaries of exhibition design and create a dense experience that represents a fundamental chapter in recent history and a presentation of a groundbreaking practice that reinvents media languages.

The exhibition invites visitors to take their time and experience a personal journey, reading the texts handwritten on the walls by Maria Alyokhina in a space where a flood of videos and countless photographs merge in color, humor, punk and noise.

"Velvet Terrorism: Pussy Riot's Russia" at Haus der Kunst emerged from passionate conversations with the Icelandic artist Ragnar Kjartansson, who first met Maria Alyokhina in Moscow. Haus der Kunst has been planning the exhibition since the beginning of 2023.

"Velvet Terrorism: Pussy Riot's Russia" is organized and toured by Maria Alyokhina and Kling & Klang, Reykjavik.

The exhibition is curated by Ragnar Kjartansson, Ingibjörg Sigurjónsdóttir, Dorothee Maria Kirch, Kling & Bang Reykjavik; Andrea Lissoni, Lydia Antoniou, Margarita, Haus der Kunst Munich.

Exhibition organization team: Baldwin Maslim with Markus Brandenburg, Chris Koch, Roland Roppelt, Marino Sokholov.

Price information:

The exhibition will be shown in the LSK Gallery, the former air-raid shelter in Haus der Kunst. Due to the spatial conditions there, only a limited number of visitors can enter at the same time. It is therefore necessary to book a time slot ticket for your visit, which allows you to enter the gallery within 30 minutes. This ticket also entitles you to a reduced price on our house tickets, which you can use to visit the other exhibitions in the museum without a time slot.