Published on 11/20/2007

On October 17th, 2007, Aperture joined with Chelsea's Rubin Museum of Art to promote the Aperture book Shaolin: Temple of Zen. Its photographer, Justin Guariglia, slowly but surely won the trust of the notoriously secretive warrior monks of the Shaolin Temple over a period of eight years. That night, he presented Shaolin monk Shi De Chao, who demonstrated the martial art of Shaolin kung fu to the captivated crowd.

Over the next few days, Exposures will present video from that night. Today, some words from Michelle Dunn, Aperture's deputy director, and Justin Guariglia, along with photos taken by Aperture's Rich Hendricks. Click on the "Read Full Entry" link below for more.

The Shaolin: Temple of Zen microsite has information, a sneak peek of the book, and more original video. Visit the microsite...

About the Rubin Museum of Art: "[The Rubin Museum of Art] is the first museum in the Western World dedicated to the art of the Himalayas and surrounding regions. The museum's mission is to establish, present, preserve and document a permanent collection that reflects the vitality, complexity and historical significance of Himalayan art." Visit their site...

Michelle Dunn Speaks At The Rubin

Michelle Dunn (Deputy Director, Aperture Foundation) spoke before the gathered crowd at the Rubin Museum of Art after a reception and book signing:

"Michael Hoffman, longtime director of Aperture Foundation, was a fan of the Rubin collection and a good friend of Donald Rubin. …Many collaborations were discussed over the years before this museum came into existence. Thanks to Continental Airlines, for subsidizing Shi De Chao’s airfare, and to Justin Guariglia, for his boundless energy in bringing the work of the Shaolin Temple to a wider audience through his photographs.

Justin Guariglia, in black, speaks before the crowd at the Rubin Museum of Art on October 17, 2007. Shaolin master Shi De Chao stands to Justin's right.

"Justin lived in Asia for over a decade, and now lives in New York City. He’s a contributing editor to National Geographic Traveler magazine, and a contributor to Smithsonian magazine. Aperture is very pleased to publish this first book of his work."

Shi De Chao autographs copies of Justin's book (Justin at Shi De Chao's right). Rubin Museum of Art, October 17, 2007.

Justin Guariglia At The Rubin

Justin Guariglia, (Author, Photographer, Shaolin: Temple of Zen [Aperture 2007]) followed Michelle Dunn with a few words of his own about his work, the night at the Rubin, and the world of Shaolin:

"It was eight years in the making, to get to this point. I’m very happy to have Shi De Chao join us here. The reason we brought [him] over was to show everyone traditional Shaolin kung fu. A lot of people never get to see the real martial art, [which is] practiced by a very small group of people around the world. The founding of kung fu took place at Shaolin temple. It’s fifteen hundred years old, and was founded by Bodhidharma. [Shi De Chao] is a living descendant of Bodhidharma; a 31^st-generation Shaolin monk, …who continues to carry on Bodhidharma’s traditions."

More from Justin in upcoming posts. For now, images of Shi De Chao in action: