Shaolin: Temple of Zen Coming to the Woodbury Art Museum

As the graphic designer at the Woodbury Art Museum I am currently working on promoting our upcoming exhibit Shaolin: Temple of Zen beginning Aug 14.

Over the past eight years, photographer Justin Guariglia has slowly but surely won the trust of the monks of the Shaolin Temple, a unique Chinese Buddhist sect dedicated to preserving a form of kung fu referred to as the “vehicle of Zen.” With the blessing of the main abbot, Shi Yong Xin, Guariglia has earned the full collaboration of the monks to create an astonishing, empathic record of the Shaolin art forms and the individuals who consider themselves the keepers of these traditions. It is the first time the monks have allowed such extensive documentation of these masters and their centuries-old art forms—from Buddhist mudras to classical kung fu—in their original setting, a 1,500-year-old Buddhist temple.

The opening reception for this exhibit will be from 6-8 p.m, Friday Sept. 4.

The Woodbury Art Museum is located in the University Mall on the second floor between Nordstom and the Gap. Admission is free. For more information please call (801) 863-6200.

Check out the Aperture Site for a look at some of the images and video that will soon be on display at the UVU Woodbury Art Museum.

Aperture, a not-for-profit organization devoted to photography and visual arts, has organized this traveling exhibition and produced the accompanying publications.