MEDIA RELEASE - FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: September, 2007
Media contact: Kathy MacPherson, galleryinfo@otis.edu, 310.665.6909. Images available
The Ben Maltz Gallery at Otis College of Art and Design is pleased to present the exhibition
Shaolin: Temple of Zen
Photographs by Justin Guariglia
February 2 – March 31, 2008
Public Reception: Saturday, February 2, 5-7pm
Shaolin: Temple of Zen is a photography exhibition based on the book of the same name by photographer Justin Guariglia published by Aperture. The exhibition premieres at the Ben Maltz Gallery on Saturday, February 2, 2007 with a public reception from 5-7pm that includes a walk-through with the photographer as well as a kung fu demonstration by a Shaolin monk. On view through March 31, this exhibition and publication are organized by the Aperture foundation, a not-for-profit organization devoted to photography and the visual arts, and presented at the Ben Maltz Gallery at Otis College of Art and Design.
Shaolin: Temple of Zen is an exhibition and publication that documents, for the first time in history, the exceptionally private warrior monks of the fifteen-hundred-year-old Shaolin Temple in the Henan province of China, renowned for its association with Zen Buddhism and martial arts. Comprising of 99 pieces, including 6 video installations, Shaolin: Temple of Zen brings to light the secretive society of the Chinese Buddhist sect dedicated to preserving a form of kung fu known as the “vehicle of Zen.” Revealing the monks’ devotional disciplines and capturing insightful portraits of the venerated warriors, the works offer an exclusive opportunity to explore the energy and spirit of Shaolin’s unique practice. Guariglia’s work explores the nature of ‘qi’ (pronounced chee), the concept of a universal energy, as well as the themes of ritual, spirituality, and Eastern philosophies through still photography and video. Carmen Winant of Philadelphia Weekly asserts that “the imagery simultaneously seethes with energy and casts a meditative silence. It evokes both the ancient and the contemporary.” |
Left to Right: Photographer Justin Guariglia; Cover of Shaolin: Temple of Zen (Aperture, October 2007) by Justin Guariglia; Shi Yan Lang, Tong Jian Quan (Through the Shoulder Fist), Justin Guariglia from Shaolin: Temple of Zen (Aperture, October 2007); Shi Yan Xian (Small Hong Fist), Justin Guariglia from Shaolin: Temple of Zen (Aperture, October 2007).
Top: Wenseng monk Shi Yong Ji, Justin Guariglia from Shaolin: Temple of Zen (Aperture, October 2007)