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Artist News Awards
Pussy Riot named winners of 2023 Woody Guthrie Prize
By Andy Malt | Published on Monday 27 March 2023
Pussy Riot have been announced as the winners of this year’s Woody Guthrie Prize. Launched in memory of the American activist folk musician a decade ago, the annual prize recognises artists who “best exemplify Guthrie’s spirit and work by speaking for the less fortunate through music, film, literature, dance or other art forms, and serving as a positive force for social change”.
In a statement, Pussy Riot’s Nadya Tolokonnikova says: “It feels fitting to be awarded in the spirit of Woody, I think he would love Pussy Riot’s anti-fascist message. Usually, when Pussy Riot gets added to lists, it’s not always a good thing, but we are honoured to be on this one”.
“We don’t really do folk”, she adds, “but we don’t really do punk either, we simply scream and protest as loud as we can, and hope we can show others they can do the same. Like Woody said, any fool can make something complicated, our message is clear and simple. Anyone can be Pussy Riot. Riot. Riot. Resist”.
Tolokonnikova and fellow Pussy Riot member Masha Alyokhina will accept the prize at a ceremony at the Woodie Guthrie Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma on 6 May. They will also take part in an on stage interview, before performing the US premiere of their show ‘Riot Days’ at the city’s Cain’s Ballroom venue that evening.
Also commenting, director of the Woody Guthrie Center, Cady Shaw, says: “As artists who, like Woody Guthrie, have the courage of their convictions, there are no contemporary artists more worthy of this recognition than Pussy Riot. They have paid a very personal price for speaking their minds on the most serious issues of our time, yet they continue to fight for justice and freedom”.
Three members of the group – including Alyokhina and Tolokonnikova – were given prison sentences in their home country of Russia in 2012, after the band staged a guerrilla performance of their song ‘Mother Of God, Drive Putin Away’ in Moscow’s Cathedral Of Christ The Saviour to protest against Russian president Vladimir Putin, who was at the time seeking re-election.
The project continues in various forms, with Tolokonnikova still releasing music under the name – having worked with other artists including TV On The Radio’s Dave Sitek, Mykki Blanco, Kai Whiston, iLove Makkonnen, and more.
Previous winners of the Woody Guthrie Prize include Chuck D, Bruce Springsteen and Mavis Staples.
