Pussy Riot Tote Bag

In 2014 we commissioned artist Wendy Saunders to create a limited edition cotton tote bag featuring one of her paintings of Pussy Riot. 

The project captured a global moment centred on free expression and drew strong interest from artists and audiences. Several bags later reached members of Pussy Riot in Russia through quiet channels. Their response spoke to the power of solidarity and to the way art moves across borders.

About the edition

Each year we produced a limited edition bag featuring a work by an artist from our directory. The 2014 edition focused on Saunders’ series that explored masked identity, protest and the tension between visibility and anonymity. The selected painting had already gained public attention when it was shown at The Threadneedle Prize 2013.

The bag was widely shared by our community and became one of the most recognisable items we have produced. It reflects our long standing interest in supporting artists to share ideas in simple, accessible forms.

Artist interview

Interview with Wendy Saunders, March 2014

Why did you start painting Pussy Riot

WS: I was drawn to the strong image of a face made anonymous by the mask. I also felt empathy for these anti-authoritarian young women who have taken risks for their beliefs.

How does this series relate to your wider work

WS: It continues my themes of identity and expression. I often obscure subjects to show the complex link between how we express ourselves and how we are understood.

What has the reaction been

WS: The painting used on the bag struck a chord. It gained positive responses, particularly from women. People tend to have strong feelings about Pussy Riot and what they face. Two new paintings from the series were later selected for The Open West, including Red Square (3).

What did Pussy Riot think of the project

WS: They were pleased to receive the bags and said it was inspiring to know that their ideas resonated in other countries.
 

The bags reach Russia

In April 2014 several bags were carried into Russia and passed to members of Pussy Riot. Their message back to us expressed thanks and hope.

“It is so important when people respond to someone else's misfortune and help each other even if they are located in different countries so far apart. It is a miracle. And it is very inspiring to us when the ideas for which we are fighting in Russia find your response, support and understanding in other countries.”

Pussy Riot, 2014

Context

In 2014 global attention was fixed on Russia and on questions of artistic freedom. Despite calls for it to be cancelled, Manifesta 10 went ahead in St Petersburg and artists from across Europe travelled there during a tense and uncertain moment. The Pussy Riot edition sat within this wider climate. It offered a small but pointed gesture at a time when visibility, risk and public voice were being fiercely contested.

The project stayed rooted in the personal act of one artist responding to a group of women whose actions echoed her own interests in identity and expression. For Axis it became a simple and vivid way to share that response with a wider public. The journey of the bags into Russia showed how small acts of solidarity can move in ways no one plans.

Part of the Axis editions series

This tote bag sits within our long running series of Axis editions. Each edition spotlights a selected artist and creates a clear route for their work to meet the public. The 2014 edition stands out for its strong image, its political context and the journey that the bags took once they left the studio.