Rolling Stone unveils “Matriarchy Now” with Pussy Riot Superstar
The Alpha:
- Rolling Stone has just announced the upcoming release of MATRIARCHY NOW – an 11-track NFT collection in collaboration with Pussy Riot co-founder Nadya Tolokonnikova and renowned photographer and artist Ellen von Unwerth.
- The collection drops on January 11th, at 3:00 PM ET.
- The upcoming collection will be led by the auction of the leading 1/1 MATRIARCHY NOW NFT, with proceeds distributed to help advance the cause of women’s reproductive rights through a UnicornDAO LegalAbortion.ETH via Endaoment.
- Tolokonnikova’s UnicornDAO has raised $4.5 million at the time of writing to support this, along with many other women and LGBTQ+-focused social causes.
Why it matters
If there’s one thing Nadya Tolokonnikova has proven throughout her career in the public spotlight, it’s this: punk is not dead. Since first entering the zeitgeist with Pussy Riot’s anti-Putin protest at Moscow’s Christ the Savior Cathedral—and the subsequent injustices she faced in Russia’s prison system—Tolokonnikova has grown into one of Web3’s most prominent spokespeople.
Through the largely decentralized infrastructure found on Web3, Tolokonnikova has slowly but surely built communities like UnicornDAO and UkraineDAO to alleviate some of the world’s worst social problems. Namely reproductive rights. Since launching UnicornDAO in March 2022, the art collective has raised more than $4.5 million to support reproductive rights and the careers of marginalized artists.
Her latest project on the horizon, MATRIARCHY NOW, is a collaborative collection of NFT photojournalism done with photographer and artist Ellen von Unwerth, depicting an idyllic world where “women, men and everyone else are equal,” according to the collection’s official page on Coinbase. But now Tolokonnikova has found a new partner to forward her humanitarian efforts: Rolling stone Blade.
What will be next
Together with the iconic publication, the pair will reveal the awe-inspiring – and at times chaotic – results of their multi-day shoot through the streets of New York. “For one day of filming, I was teleported into a magical adventure of unicorns, fishnets, latex and powerful girls who rule the world with wit, wisdom and fun,” Tolokonnikova said in a press release shared with nft now. “We ran into a building under construction, unannounced, made friends there, we spray-painted posters on the streets of New York, and had a dominatrix tea party with men in latex serving as tables, we swam in glitter and rode inflatable emo unicorns . Matriarchy now.”
A suitable partner, granted Rolling Stone’s role in putting its massive spotlight on the then nascent punk rock movement in the early 1970s. With Tolokonnikova and von Unwerth, Rolling stone will formally launch MATRIARCHY NOW during an IRL showcase on January 11th, from 19:00 to 22:00, at THE CANVAS 3.0.
Given the sheer cultural cachet of Rolling stoneit’s clear to see that Tolokonnikova’s journey to legitimize punk rock philanthropy may just be starting.
