No Kings – It’s beginning to look a lot like russia

June 14, 2025

Pussy Riot is marching alongside a group of No Kings protestors in Downtown LA with a message, a red banner that read “It’s beginning to look a lot like Russia”. 

With military parades, bullying of sitting politicians, the banning of the pride flag in certain places, and the full use of force by riot police and military against peaceful protestors. Nadya Tolokonnikova was doing her POLICE STATE exhibit at MOCA Geffen downtown , which critiqued the growing surveillance and descent into authoritarianism across the world. The exhibit was postponed this week due to the occupation of LA by the National guard. 

 

Her statement – 

It’s not quite a penal colony here, but a halfway house. Once again, when I write a statement or a song, a demon on my left shoulder is whispering: “How much is too much? Will this get you jailed or not quite yet??”. The answer is – idfk. When the law is being used not to protect freedoms, put to punish – selectively and voluntarily – those who speak out, no lawyer can tell you what’s safe, and what’s not. As my Russian lawyer used to say, “Nadya, stop asking me what’s safe – if you want to be safe, leave Russia”. 

I refused to leave for years – until it became clear that if I stayed, I’d spend the rest of my life behind bars.

Putin promised his people safety and stability in exchange for their freedoms  and many bought into his message of “making Russia great again.” Today, he’s waging the bloodiest war in modern Europe. Russia has become an international pariah, and its best – those honest enough to refuse self-censorship – are either imprisoned or assassinated, like my comrades Navalny and Nemtsov.

The promised land an authoritarian leader dangles in front of you like a carrot will never arrive. Unless, of course, you’re one of their besties.

There’s a Christmas song that starts playing after Thanksgiving, the one that says “It’s beginning to look a lot like christmas…. Everywhere you go”. Maybe they just start putting up lights or you see decorations at stores, but it starts and you begin to feel it coming. Well… It’s beginning to feel a lot like Russia…. Everywhere you go.

My job as an artist is to interpret those feelings. I felt that tingle for a bit now, that is why I did the POLICE STATE exhibit. The walls are closing, the camera systems are getting AI upgrades, you have to censor what you say or unidentified masked men will show up at your home, at your work, at your church. One day, leaving the museum, I stepped into an actual police state – rows of police assaulting peaceful protesters. Today the museum that hosts POLICE STATE – MOCA – is closed due to the actual police state.

 

It’s surreal but not really surprising. I guess you could say it’s my first artistic collaboration with the United States Military.

Now we are on the street protesting alongside people who believe immigrants make America great.