Join The Polygon Gallery on Friday, March 13 for an evening with Pussy Riot's Maria (Masha) Alyokhina. Masha will be performing readings from her new book Political Girl, alongside a live improvised score performed by another member of the Pussy Riot collective, Eric J. Breitenbach.
Doors 6:30pm
Performance at 7:00pm
Book signing and reception at 8:00pm
Reserve your seat by donating in advance.
Walk-ins welcome on the night of the event, if space permits.
Signed copies of Political Girl can be pre-ordered and picked up on the night of the event
The Polygon is committed to barrier free programs. Please contact m.mann@thepolygon.ca if donating is an issue.
About Political Girl
“Irreverent, urgent, and illuminating, this bold account offers American readers an invaluable window into contemporary Russia. It’s a winner.” —Publishers Weekly
Picking up where Riot Days left off, Maria (Masha) Alyokhina takes us through her activist experiences between 2014 to 2022. In vivid, diary-like vignettes, we follow her as she goes in and out of Russian prisons, continually dodges police violence, protests at the Sochi Olympics, flies to Kyiv to stand in solidarity with Ukraine, defends the high-level dissident Alexi Navalny, drops banners at Trump Tower, and—in 2022—flees from Russia in disguise to escape a new prison sentence.
Spanning settings from Moscow to London to New York to Harvard, Political Girl has an artistic sensibility, a punk ethos, a deep moral clarity, and an inimitably dry Russian wit. It portrays not only Masha’s political activities but also her personal arc: the friends she makes in prison, the woman she falls in love with, her bond with her young son Filip, and her deep passion for art and history. As Trump attempts to bring Putin-style authoritarianism to the U.S., Masha's message to Americans is one of solidarity and hope.
About Maria Alyokhina
Maria is a member of Pussy Riot, an infamous feminist art collective that has been recognized with the 2012 LennonOno Grant for Peace, the Hannah Arendt Prize in 2014, and the Woody Guthrie Prize in 2023, which honours the spirit of resistance through music, literature, dance, and art. In 2024 The Polygon mounted Velvet Terrorism: Pussy Riot's Russia, the first survey exhibition of their work. She is the author of two books Riot Days and Political Girl.
About Eric J. Breitenbach
Eric J. Breitenbach is a drummer and producer from Vancouver, Canada, and a member of Pussy Riot. He is the co founder of the experimental project New Age Doom, known for merging drone, dub, metal, and free jazz, and for collaborations with artists including Lee “Scratch” Perry and H.R. of Bad Brains.
Breitenbach performs internationally with Pussy Riot’s Riot Days and with New Age Doom. In 2026, Riot Days, Political Girl, and New Age Doom will tour extensively across Europe.
For Political Girl, Breitenbach creates live improvised scores that amplify the urgency and emotional intensity of the text. Blending acoustic drums with electronics and textural sound design, he transforms each reading into an immersive, one time performance where words and sound merge.
Note: There are no physical tickets. After making your donation, your name will be added to the guest list at admissions. Please arrive early.
