Velvet Terrorism: Pussy Riot’s Russia

What is resistance in art and which stories need to become fundamental part of exhibition making nowadays? “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 devoted to Pussy Riot. 

In illustrating an increasingly hostile relationship between the feminist art collective and the state authorities, the exhibition offers essential insights into the evolution of Putin’s Russia over the past decade, culminating in the military invasion of Ukraine. Over the years through their artistic practice, Pussy Riot has ingeniously converted the oppressive tools of an authoritarian state into a new collaborative force for creativity, fearlessly taking serious risks.

The exhibition is presented in the LSK-Galerie, nestled within the air raid shelter of Haus der Kunst, the site where the building’s complex history, dating back to its opening in 1937, is particularly evident. “Velvet Terrorism: Pussy Riot’s Russia” follows the solo exhibitions of African American artist Tony Cokes (2022), and the Australian indigenous film collective Karrabing (2023), featuring overlooked histories through the lens of new and inventive visual languages. As both previous surveys in the former bunker, confront major questions of the current political state of the world, “Velvet Terrorism: Pussy Riot’s Russia” aims at pushing the boundaries of exhibition display towards a dense experience that is a fundamental chapter in recent world history, and a presentation of a groundbreaking practice that reinvents media languages. 

“Velvet Terrorism: Pussy Riot’s Russia” invites the public to take time, to experience and read a personal journey entirely handwritten on walls over the period of three weeks at the bunker, by Maria Alyokhina, in an environment where an overload of videos and countless photographs blend in colours, humour, punk and noise. 

Tickets and Information

• LSK-Galerie: The exhibition takes place in the LSK-Galerie, the former air-raid shelter of Haus der Kunst. Access is via the parking lot at the rear of the building, underneath the terrace.
• Time Slot Tickets: Due to the spatial constraints of the location, access is limited to a restricted number of visitors at any given time. Therefore, it is necessary for you to book a tim slot ticket for your visit. This ticket grants you a 30-minute period for entry. Additionally, with this ticket, you will receive a discounted rate on our Haustickets, which allow you to visit other exhibitions without a time restriction. You can find more information here.
• Bags: Bags larger than A4 must be deposited in lockers located in the main building to the left and right of the ticket office.

Exhibition Production and Collaboration

“Velvet Terrorism: Pussy Riot’s Russia” at Haus der Kunst emerged from passionate exchanges with the Icelandic artist Ragnar Kjartansson, who first encountered Maria Alyokhina in Moscow. The exhibition has been planned at Haus der Kunst since spring 2023.

The exhibition is organised and toured by Maria Alyokhina and Kling & Bang, Reykjavik.

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

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

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