Shaolin: Temple of Zen - Hardcover

Justin Guariglia

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1597110809 ISBN 13: 9781597110808

Publisher: Aperture Foundation, 2007

Synopsis

For the first time in history, the notoriously guarded warrior monks of the 1500-year-old Shaolin Temple--a Chinese Buddhist sect dedicated to preserving a form of kung fu known as the "vehicle of Zen"--have allowed their secretive society to be documented. With the blessing of the main abbot, Justin Guariglia earned the trust and full collaboration of the Shaolin monks to create an astonishing, empathic record of the Shaolin art forms and the individuals who consider themselves the keepers of these traditions. Over the past eight years, Guariglia has deftly captured the changing context of this ancient sect as it encounters the increasingly hyper-modern world of contemporary China. This amazing work provides viewers with a rare opportunity to examine the energy and spirit of the Shaolins' unique Zen practice, which has until now primarily been seen via pop-cultural interpretation in such films as Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. It features serial imagery of fighting poses; cinematic grid images and cool design.

About this title

From the Publisher

In these images, Justin Guariglia has captured one of the last oases of pure, unaffected Chinese culture. This sumptuous book is a must for anyone whose imagination is captivated by the search for the edge of human boundaries in a distant land. Justin Guariglia's photographs reveal an extraordinary culture dedicated to the pursuit of discipline and excellence--where mind and body are stretched to the extreme.
-Edward Burtynsky

Justin Guariglia provides a first--a perceptive look at the real monks of Shaolin Temple, their most inner sanctums, their devotional practice, and their traditional disciplines. He captures portraits of these venerated, compassionate warriors, who have survived the Cultural Revolution and ravenous tourists of modern China, and who stand guard at the very birthplace of the martial arts and Zen.
--Gene Ching, Kung Fu Magazine

Review

"This work documents, for the first time in history, the notoriously guarded warrior monks of the 1,500-year-old Shaolin Temple. Guariglia earned the trust and full collaboration of the Shaolin monks, creating an empathetic record of the Shaolin art forms and the individuals who consider themselves the keepers of these traditions." --Photo District News

"Photos capture cloistered monks and kung fu tradition." -- Diane Haithman --The Los Angeles Times

"The book also included black-and-white shots taken at night, lit by just one dim light bulb. These shots are highly atmospheric but they also reflect genuine kung fu practice and the extent of Guariglia's achievement in getting access -- the monks traditionally did kung fu at night so that no one could see what they were doing." -- Diane Smyth -- The British Journal of Photography

About this edition

• Publisher: Aperture Foundation
• Publication date: 2007
• ISBN 10: 1597110809
• ISBN 13: 9781597110808
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 144