Wu-Tang Clan‘s infamous seventh studio album, Once Upon a Time in Shaolin, will be shared with Australian audiences for the first time across a series of free listening sessions at Hobart’s Museum of National Art (MONA) next month. The sessions will take place between Saturday June 15th and Monday June 24th at the gallery’s recording studio, Frying Pan.
Once Upon a Time in Shaolin was originally released in 2015 as a single physical copy, with no other way to purchase, stream or download it. Convicted “pharma-bro” Martin Shkreli purchased the album for US$2 million, although it was later seized upon his 2018 conviction. It was later sold in 2021 by the US Department of Justice to the group PleasrDAO.
Wu-Tang Clan – ‘Protect Ya Neck’
Now, MONA have received the album on loan – marking the first time that the album will officially be heard by members of the public since the album’s release nine years earlier. It takes place as part of their ongoing exhibition Namedropping, which also features hand-written lyrics by David Bowie and artefacts from the lives of John Lennon, Ringo Starr and Madonna among countless others.
Jarrod Rawlins, the Director of Curatorial Affairs at MONA, described Once Upon a Time in Shaolin as “more than just an album”. “Every once in a while, an object on this planet possesses mystical properties that transcend its material circumstances,” he said in a press statement. “When I was thinking about status, and what a transcendent namedrop could be, I knew I had to get it into this exhibition.”
The Wu-Tang Clan themselves were last in Australia circa May 2023, performing on their NY State of Mind co-headlining tour with Nas. GZA, who also played speed chess with fans while in Australia last year, was supposed to tour Australia this year as part of Groovin’ The Moo. The tour was quietly cancelled, however, when the festival itself was.
Further Reading
Mona Foma 2024: QOTSA, Courtney Barnett, Mogwai, TISM, Kutcha Edwards + More
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A Film About Martin Shkreli Buying Wu-Tang Clan’s ‘Once Upon A Time In Shaolin’ Is Coming To Netflix
