Some lucky music lovers will be able to hear one of the world’s rarest musical compositions during an exclusive listening event at MONA.
Men visiting the Tasmanian Museum of Ancient and Modern Art will soon be allowed into its women’s lounge. MONA was ordered to make changes after a man complained the women-only policy was discriminatory. Jason Lau, a museum visitor from New South Wales, said he was unable to fully experience the museum when he visited it last April.
The Museum of Old and New Art has included the legendary album as part of its upcoming exhibition “Namedropping”
The American hip-hop group “Wu-Tang Clan” secretly recorded “Once Upon a Time in Shaolin” for six years and completed the work in 2015 and auctioned it off.
A hand-engraved nickel silver box containing Once Upon a Time in Shaolin by American hip-hop superstar Wu-Tang Clan. Picture: Newsline handout
But what makes this album one of the most sought-after musical works is that it was compressed into a two-CD copy, with the digital master archive deleted.
Jarrod Rawlins, director of curatorial affairs at Mona, said the enigmatic album was a perfect complement to the exhibition, raising questions for visitors about how to delve deeper.
“Every once in a while, objects on this planet possess mysterious properties that transcend their physical environment,” Mr. Rawlings said.
“Once Upon a Time in Shaolin is more than just an album, so when I was thinking about status and a transcendent name, I knew I had to include it in this exhibition.”
The beloved hip-hop group has also ensured that their seventh album cannot be commercially exploited until 2103, as its ownership is subject to a legal agreement with any purchaser.
For a limited time, visitors can listen to portions of the album at Mona’s Frying Pan Studio. Picture: Newsline handout
But luckily for those who wish to hear the album’s contents, the legal agreement also provides that the album can be played at private listening parties.
Previously only heard by a handful of people around the world, visitors to Mona will now be able to experience a selection of 30-minute mixes from the album, recorded in Mona’s own studio Frying Pan via a personalized Wu-Tang PlayStation 1 Played.
The album has transcended Wu-Tang Clan lore and hit the cultural zeitgeist in 2021 after it was sold to digital art collector Pleasr for $4 million by the U.S. Department of Justice.
The forced sale comes after its previous owner, Martin Shkreli, was ordered to forfeit the property he bought for $2 million in 2015 after he was sentenced to seven years in prison in 2018 for defrauding investors of approximately $7.4 million. album.
Former pharmaceutical executive Martin Shkreli was found guilty on three of eight counts involving securities fraud and conspiracy to commit securities and wire fraud. Photo: Drew Angerer/Getty Images/AFP
Shkreli was nicknamed the “pharmaceutical brother” after he raised the price of the life-saving HIV drug Daraprim from $13.50 to $750 per pill.
Excerpts from the album circulated online after Shkreli followed through on a promise to release the album if Donald Trump won the 2016 US presidential election.
Before his arrest, he also tried and failed to sell “Once Upon a Time in Shaolin Temple” on eBay.
Pleasr said in a statement that it is a proud partner with Mona and supports Wu-Tang Clan member RZA’s vision for Once Upon a Time in Shaolin.
“Ten years ago, Wu-Tang Clan had a bold vision to make a single album into a work of art,” Presser said.
“‘Put it in a gallery…make the music a living work, like the Mona Lisa or the Egyptian Scepter’.”
The Wu-Tang Clan secretly produced a rare seventh album, Once Upon a Time in Shaolin. Image: Supplied
“Through this work of art, Wu-Tang Clan aims to redefine the meaning of music ownership and value in a world of digital streaming and music commoditization.”
The album’s appearance at Mona is the first time it has been loaned to the museum since it was first sold in 2015.
Wu-Tang Clan Naming Events will be held twice daily, Friday through Monday, June 15-24, 2024.
Mona will be issuing a limited number of free tickets for each event.
Visitors can also see the album on display as well as the public debut of the original handwritten lyrics to David Bowie’s “Starman,” showing edits and spelling corrections.
