On April 12, IMVU and Nadya Tolokonnikova, creator of Pussy Riot, a Russian feminist punk-rock collective, announced the creation of a community space in the Web3 metaverse during the NFT NYC 2023 event.

According to Venture Beat, the Pussy Riot community space will be launched within the interactive 3D chatroom game IMVU. Additionally, the first 5,000 users who visit the metaverse and complete a free mission will unlock an NFT designed by Tolokonnikova.

PUSSY RIOT’S FIRST METAVERSE COMMUNITY

Join Utopia, our diverse, feminist and inclusive community, on @IMVU ️

Exclusive NFT drops designed by Pussy Riot + in-app quest experiences are coming https://t.co/a3qSQIAuYq to join the community for free

@IMVU +… pic.twitter.com/5aJMgFsWre

— (@pussyrrriot) April 12, 2023

Using The Metaverse to Support Various Causes

The purpose of the community space “Utopia: A Virtual Haven for All” is to provide a unique and welcoming environment for all women, BIPOC, and people from the LGBTQIA+ community, where everyone can interact within a feminist church with ideologies similar to those defended by Pussy Riot.

Those who wish to visit Tolokonnikova’s metaverse can do so starting April 14 by logging into IMVU and creating a unique avatar to their liking.

According to Tolokonnikova, the creation of this digital space is the first step towards achieving her dream of building a “Pink Church of Feminism” that embraces all gender diversities in the real world.

“It’s very thrilling to launch Utopia in IMVU and make it feminist, queer, diverse, and radical. It has always been a dream of mine to create a Pink Church of Feminism, […] Eventually, I’ll find a way to build it in real life. But the first step is to launch this vision in the metaverse.”

Tolokonnikova Works on Other Projects

A true feminist activist, Tolokonnikova, who claims to have been imprisoned for two years for protesting against Russian President Vladimir Putin’s government, noted that this is one of the first projects focused on the crypto ecosystem she is working on to support LGBTQIA+ communities in Russia.

Tolokonnikova also said she is developing digital wearables with IMVU to support organizations like North Caucasus SOS, which is helping homosexuals to safely leave Chechnya, a Russian region of Russia where “gay people are gravely in danger.”

Maura Welch, Vice President of Marketing at Together Labs, said they were delighted to work with IMVU and Nadya to bring the artist’s designs to the metaverse, welcoming all her fans.

“Nadya has long loved the freedom and aesthetic possibilities of the IMVU metaverse, and so we worked together on an extraordinary collaboration bringing Nadya’s art and activism to life for IMVU’s incredibly diverse and wildly creative community. We welcome Nadya’s fans to IMVU in joining her Utopia community,”

Members of Tolokonnikova’s Church plan to host live events featuring various international speakers, as well as a music festival for the entire LGBTQIA+ community.