Pussy Riot’s Nadya Tolokonnikova Auctions Her Bottle of Blood and Freedom Certificate as an NFT

“She discovered she can use cryptocurrency and NFTs as tools to amplify her art, and coordinate people and capital on a global scale. NFTs can be used as a vehicle to both influence opinion, and also raise funds to be used back in Russia, where political adversaries to the government are still being poisoned and jailed,”

The Defiant introduced a podcast with Nadya Tolokonnika, a conceptual artist and political activist from Russia, and founding member of the globally famous Pussy Riot.

Pussy Riot, a feminist protest group, joined the NFT space in early 2021. The movement is part of PleasrDAO (a collective of DeFi experts, digitals artists, and NFT collectors).

Tolokonnika’s artwork “Drink My Blood” includes an unreleased song titled “Anthem” from Pussy Riot group, a bloodstained freedom certificate (issued on her release from prison in 2013), in a physical form and as an NFT. 

Pussy Riot’s leader spilled blood on the freedom certificate, which perpetuates her 2-year incarceration. After being forced to sew police uniforms for 17 hours a day, her blood represents camp labor.

“Spilled blood on the freedom certificate I was given upon release on xmas eve of 2013,” 

Tolokonnika wrote on Twitter.

"I was injured multiple times as the result of being conditioned to slave labor. I wanted to reflect the pain a prisoner goes through. The collector will receive a bottle of my blood.” 

A vial of the artist’s blood vial will be issued as a digital asset to every bidder. The auction winner will receive the physical bottle of Tolokonnika’s blood along with a digital certificate. The physical certificate, which still counts as a part of the art, won’t be part of the auction for legal purposes. 

“Drink My Blood” is a follow-up to Tolokonnikova’s “Virgin Mary, Please Become A Feminist” NFT art intervention, which she hand-drew over her prison sentencing documents. The NFT was sold for 40 ETH in September 2021.

The auction will be held at the FWB gallery and will run on the 2nd of December, 7 pm EST for 24 hours.