Kung fu's spiritual side
Photos give rare glimpse inside China's Shaolin Temple.
NEVER call the practice of classical Shaolin kung fu a "performance," says American photographer Justin Guariglia, whose new book, "Shaolin: Temple of Zen," takes the reader into the cloistered world of the monks who uphold the tradition in China's 1,500-year-old Shaolin Temple.
The correct term, says Guariglia, is "demonstration."
"The monks are not entertainers," says the 33-year-old photographer, who spent five years building the trust of the monks to gain access to their life inside the monastery.
Photos from the book, published by Aperture in October, are featured in a traveling exhibition, on display at the Ben Maltz Gallery at Otis College of Art and Design through March 29.
"When the media shows up, they want to be entertained," Guariglia continued in a recent conversation at Otis College, joined by Shaolin monk Shi De Chao, who had flown in from China to demonstrate -- not perform -- kung fu at the gallery recently. "They are overwhelmed and bombarded. A lot of people want to exploit them."
Most pilgrims to the Shaolin Temple, Guariglia says, come looking for the drama of kung fu as seen in movies starring Jackie Chan or Jet Li, or the flying fight scenes of Ang Lee's "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon." Jet Li's skill, Guariglia explains, is actually the modern competitive martial art wushu, not traditional Shaolin kung fu.
The "warrior monks" don't fight, Guariglia says. "They did 100 years ago, but there's no warlords running China anymore. If you ask a monk why he practices kung fu, he'll say that kung fu is a vehicle for Zen, meaning it's a form of meditation."
Guariglia's exhibition, which includes stills from the book as well as videos, captures the active and the contemplative sides of the monks' existence, mixing serene black-and-white portraits with vibrant color shots of the monks executing kicks, poses, jumps and spins, practiced out of view to visitors.
The photographer also turns his lens on the tourist's effect on the peaceful surroundings, including a gaggle of visitors paying for a look through binoculars at a stone statue of the founder of Zen Buddhism, Bodhidharma. Another shot shows cartons and plastic bottles strewn outside.
Guariglia's wife, visual artist Zoe Chen, 33, contributed to the project by creating assemblages of photographs of the monks in practice. Formerly a fashion designer for Issey Miyake in Tokyo, Chen has created designs that often involve intricate knit patterns that seem reflected in the photo assemblages.
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