This is the price of popularity

Pussy phrase Riot is constantly flashing in the news, Maria Alekhina and Nadezhda Tolokonnikova every day become Newsmakers, their photo is again placed on the cover of the magazine "Poster" - already without a balaclava. “ Pussy Riot will go to check the prisons of the USA” , “ Pussy Riot became guests of the comedy program in the United States” , “Madonna and Pussy Riot performed on the same stage in New York” , “ Pussy Riot participants will be at the Berlinal gala vecher” . And this is only a small part: the tape on Facebook is replete with such headlines, many of these news are shut, accompanying enthusiastic comments like "Girls deserve this glory, now the whole world will hear them." Hey guys, what are you? Have you forgotten what Alekhin and Tolokonnikov spent two years in prison for a hundred police shirts a day? Is it really not at all embarrassed that the news about them is increasingly appearing in the show-biz section?

The question remains open: what is more significant - a real action or gesture of art?

The feeling is that many really forgot about the action in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior, and about Pussy songs Riot and now associate a group with a “two -legged” in prison and - worse - with performances by Alekhina and Tolokonnikova in the show “Kolbert report” on the Comedy humorous channel Central or at the Amnesty concert International . There is nothing much to rejoice here: Alekhina and Tolokonnikov sat in front of Kolber as schoolgirls, trying to seriously talk about gay problems, about the “swamp business”, about the infringement of civil rights in Russia, but it was as if they did not understand that the leader’s task was not to listen to the stories of the guests, but to mix the audience of the channel. How would Guerrilla Girls members behave, if they - of course, without gorilla masks - were invited to visit Ivan Urgant for Channel One? They would defend the rights of women while Urgant joked merrily, saying that naked in the metro-museum do not look so bad. This is a farce and absurdity, but these are the laws of the genre in which Tolokonnikov and Alekhin are now performing.

Pussy Riot rebelled against the genre itself, and now Alekhin and Tolokonnikov has accepted its rules for the sake of new, quite noble, goals - human rights. But consider them Pussy participants In this situation, Riot is no longer possible (Masha and Nadia and the remaining anonymous participants recognized it), although many continue to classify them as a group. So, even at the poster of that same Amnesty concert International was the performance of Pussy Riot . What were they waiting for? That Alekhina and Tolokonnikov will put on the Balaklavs and sing the "Mother of God" in Barclays Center ? To Pussy Riot continues to be attributed by numerous journalists for whom PR is, as it now becomes clear, not a symbol of feminism, rebellion against the fusion of the church and the state, but primarily a well -known brand that attracts attention to the material on the strip. Moreover, the current actions of Alekhina and Tolokonnikova only add oils to the fire: some even said that Pussy Riot is a skilled PR project. In principle, now many have only believed in the credibility of this version.

They can be understood humanly, they need to be supported, but they can also be stated-they could not survive.

Now it is necessary to divide the group and its former participants - in order to save Pussy Riot (both as a symbol and as a real group) and everything related to these anonymous girls in color balaclavs. Their songs, clips, promotions and our rallies, petitions, hundreds of articles in their support. If this is not done, then they and our Riot , as well as the riot Alekhina and Tolokonnikova, will turn into a refined, emasculated, calm protest within the existing system. They have already exchanged an anonymous rebellion for media and, probably, will soon forget what they deserve it. Now they are fighting not with the system itself, but with its individual manifestations, becoming part of the same system and losing their significance at the symbolic level.

It is especially unpleasant to realize this now, when Alekhina and Tolokonnikov were released after two years spent in prison, where they were humiliated morally and physically. They can be understood humanly, they need to be supported, but they can also be stated-they could not survive.

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Against Pussy Riot were not only two years of prison, but also exposure, which is perhaps even worse. Anonymity is one of the most important qualities of those art groups that take into account the protest (and not only). This is how a kind of protection is ensured - not so much to avoid repression (as we see, in the case of PUSSY Riot did not work), how much to protect the integrity of the group. If several participants fall out of the composition, then others may come in their place.

Having eliminated two participants, the authorities could not eliminate the entire Pussy Riot group, could not eliminate the phenomenon itself.

In this sense, a real miracle can be called that the authorities did not expose all the members of the group (this, in particular, means that the authorities do not understand the processes that are taking place: to imprison them is easier and more efficient than engaged in breaking the balaclava). This, in fact, was the salvation of Pussy Riot : Cat, Garaja, Farah, washer, Seraphim and Schumacher can continue to work. When Alekhina and Tolokonnikov were still in prison, the group released another video “Like in a Red Prison” , showing that, having eliminated two participants, the authorities could not eliminate the entire Pussy group Riot , could not eliminate the phenomenon itself. Now Pussy Riot is not enough similar gesture - to prove that their spirit is not broken and they can exist without Masha and Nadi. But could Alekhina and Tolokonnikova return to Pussy Riot - given the popularity that has fallen on them, thousands of mention in the media and anonymity as the principle of the group? In any case, the choice - to become guests of the popular show or stay behind the scenes - was in their hands.

In the case of PUSSY Riot anonymity and color balaclavs also protested against the power vertical (all participants were equal before the public) and against the use of a female image for advertising purposes. Alekhina and Tolokonnikov, flickering in the photographs and now that appeared on the cover of the magazine "Poster", violate this rule. In fact, they begin to use their appearance to draw attention to unconditionally important topics. But will they listen to them as they listened to their songs in XXS? Or will they only look at them?

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The main loss of Alekhina and Tolokonnikova compared to Pussy Riot is their rejection of the production of symbols and meanings. Speaking rudely: betrayal of art. This was already written by the artist Anatoly Osmolovsky. Pussy Riot were significant and resonated. Having abandoned art, Alekhin and Tolokonnikov came down from the ephemeral level of ideas and meanings to the level of life and law. Perhaps the reason lies in the desire of “real actions” and “real results”, which in a situation of information noise and endless trep is understandable. The question remains open: what is more significant - a real action or gesture of art?

Another thing is important: now their voice has lost weight, despite the applause and laughter of hundreds of thousands of spectators around the world. They can quite legally shout about the “swamp business”, a terrible attitude towards prisoners, infringement of LGBT rights from the Barclays scene Center or on the air " Colbert Report ” , whose audience is much larger than the number of parishioners in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior. They shout, but they no longer hear them, and they lost their voice at the moment when they began to act according to pre -installed rules and betrayed art. Their words turn into informational noise and manage to dissolve in the mass-media field, not even reaching potential listeners. Everyone views hundreds of headlines in the media, barking, wool, rejoice, joining this safe, tamed protest, which will bring nothing and for which nothing will happen. But this is the price of popularity, turning a rebellion into another pop number.