Uploaded July 2025 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
To mark the conclusion of her performance installation, POLICE STATE, Nadya Tolokonnikova joins artist Fulton Leroy Washington (aka MR WASH) and MOCA Associate Curator Alex Sloane for a conversation on art, activism, and prison reform.
In 1997 Fulton Leroy Washington a.k.a. Mr. Wash was wrongfully convicted of three nonviolent drug offenses, and due to mandatory minimums, sentenced to life in prison. Over two decades he taught himself how to paint, creating hundreds of artworks. In 2016, Mr. Wash’s case was recognized by President Obama, who granted his release. Now living and working in Compton, Mr. Wash continues to tell stories through his artwork, which has been shown and acquired by the Hammer Museum, and exhibited at the Huntington Library, Jeffrey Deitch Gallery, HVW8 Gallery, and Open Space Gallery in Los Angeles. Mr. Wash with the help of Help Us Help Wash 501 (c)(3) is building the Art By Wash Studio and Community Center in the City of Compton.
To mark the conclusion of her performance installation, POLICE STATE, Nadya Tolokonnikova joins artist Fulton Leroy Washington (aka MR WASH) and MOCA Associate Curator Alex Sloane for a conversation on art, activism, and prison reform.
In 1997 Fulton Leroy Washington a.k.a. Mr. Wash was wrongfully convicted of three nonviolent drug offenses, and due to mandatory minimums, sentenced to life in prison. Over two decades he taught himself how to paint, creating hundreds of artworks. In 2016, Mr. Wash’s case was recognized by President Obama, who granted his release. Now living and working in Compton, Mr. Wash continues to tell stories through his artwork, which has been shown and acquired by the Hammer Museum, and exhibited at the Huntington Library, Jeffrey Deitch Gallery, HVW8 Gallery, and Open Space Gallery in Los Angeles. Mr. Wash with the help of Help Us Help Wash 501 (c)(3) is building the Art By Wash Studio and Community Center in the City of Compton.
