The album, which has only ever been heard by a select group of people, will be displayed at the MONA gallery in Australia
Wu-Tang Clan fans rejoice!
The iconic hip-hop group’s coveted seventh album Once Upon a Time in Shaolin is going on public display for the first time at Tasmania’s Museum of Old and New Art (Mona) in Australia, the gallery announced in a press release.
Wu-Tang Clan secretly recorded the fabled record over six years and only one physical two-CD copy of it was made and auctioned off in 2015, making it one of the most expensive records ever sold.
That copy will now be shown in the Namedropping exhibition, which runs for 10 days from June 15 at the Mona Gallery, which showcases and examines the work and status of some of the world’s most prolific artists and musicians.
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Jon Lynn
Wu-Tang Clan’s rare album ‘Once Upon a Time in Shaolin’ is being shown at the Mona Gallery in Australia
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“Every once in a while, an object on this planet possesses mystical properties that transcend its material circumstances,” Jarrod Rawlins, Director of Curatorial Affairs at Mona, said, per the release. “Once Upon a Time in Shaolin is more than just an album, so when I was thinking about status, and what a transcendent namedrop could be, I knew I had to get it into this exhibition.”
Fans will also get the opportunity to listen to the Wu-Tang Clan’s uber-exclusive record at listening parties held in Mona’s Frying Pan Studios, along with a curated thirty-minute mix from the album during the limited exhibition run.
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Following its original sale in 2015, Once Upon a Time in Shaolin has switched owners to digital art collective Pleasr. Under the agreement of the owners, the album is not allowed for commercial use until 2103 — making the exhibition even more of a must-visit for Wu-Tang Clan fans.
Jon Lynn
The CD is the only physical copy of the 2015 record by the group
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“10 years ago, the Wu-Tang Clan had a bold vision to make a single copy album as a work of fine art. To ‘put it in an art gallery…make music become a living piece like a Mona Lisa or a sceptre from Egypt,’ ” Pleasr said in a statement.
“With this single work of art, the Wu-Tang Clan’s intention was to redefine the meaning of music ownership and value in a world of digital streaming and commodification of music. Pleasr is honored to partner with Mona to support RZA’s vision for Once Upon a Time in Shaolin.”
Wu-Tang Clan’s album exhibit comes after the legendary group embarked on a new chapter in their career after kicking off their Las Vegas residency in February. The group performed their first shows at the Theater at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas during Super Bowl weekend.
Namedropping the Wu-Tang Clan will run twice daily, Friday-Monday, between June 15-24. Mona will release a limited number of free tickets for each event.
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