Wu-Tang Clan fans in Tasmania, off the southern coast of Australia, have much to look forward to.
The legendary group’s seventh album, Once Upon a Time in Shaolin, will be displayed publicly for the very first time, at Tasmania’s Museum of Old and New Art (Mona), the gallery announced, People reports.
Secretly recorded over six years, the album has only one physical two-CD copy, auctioned in 2015 as one of the most expensive records ever sold.
This copy will be featured in the Namedropping exhibition, running for 10 days from June 15 at Mona Gallery, showcasing works by some of the world’s most prolific artists and brands, to include Porsche, Madonna, Henry Kissinger, Air Jordan, McDonald’s and Henry VIII.
“Every once in a while, an object on this planet possesses mystical properties that transcend its material circumstances,” said Jarrod Rawlins, the museum’s director of curatorial affairs, in a statement. “‘Once Upon a Time in Shaolin’ is more than just an album, so when I was thinking about status, and what a transcendent name drop could be, I knew I had to get it into this exhibition.”
Earlier this month, the group appeared to tease the upcoming event, posting a video on X/Twitter showing fans seemingly listening to the “unreleased” project for the first time. “Yo! Yo! Wait. This is the unreleased. Oh shit. You guys are deadass,” said one listener.
“Oh wowwww… yeah I like this man. I wish I had my hands on this. This is a classic,” added another, in disbelief.
Following its 2015 sale, Once Upon a Time in Shaolin was acquired by digital art collective Pleasr. Under the owners’ agreement, the album cannot be used commercially until 2103.
“Ten years ago, the Wu-Tang Clan had a bold vision to make a single copy album as a work of fine art. To ‘put it in an art gallery…make music become a living piece like a Mona Lisa or a sceptre from Egypt,’ ” Pleasr said in a statement, the outlet reports.
“With this single work of art, the Wu-Tang Clan’s intention was to redefine the meaning of music ownership and value in a world of digital streaming and commodification of music. Pleasr is honored to partner with Mona to support RZA’s vision for Once Upon a Time in Shaolin.”