PUSSY RIOT

As a result of their actions such as the Punk Prayer in Moscow's Christ the Savior Cathedral and their subsequent trials, the girls of Pussy Riot were transformed into icons of protest. The images of the principal members, Nadezda Tolokonnikova and Maria Alekhina, were seen all around the world before the two disappeared for two years into Russian prison camps. Immediately after their release, the successful Dutch entrepreneur and avid photographer Bert Verwelius contacted the two women, setting into motion what was to be an extraordinary photo shoot: using the activists' stories and sketches of the prison camp, he depicted their living and working conditions there as an impressive picture series. Yet Bert Verwelius also shows us a very different, hidden side to the two young women in this book, his first publication. With his sensitive portraits, he captures the open and loveable nature of Nadezda Tolokonnikova and Maria Alekhina-not to mention their beauty.