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Organisation

696 Weihai Lu

Opium storage facility turned Art Studios

 Interaction, New media, Urbanism, Underground, Similar

696 Weihai Lu is not only an address, but a series of former opium storage facilities now housing an artist community with more than 40 artist studios and an increasing number of galleries. It’s not very polished which makes it fun to wander around. Most artists are very welcoming and open to show their studio and work.

Rebelling against Moganshan Lu, a group of younger artists moved into the century-old British style buildings at 696 Weihai Lu a couple of years ago, creating an incubator for multi media art. Notably, these buildings probably once served as opium storage facilities. Although the entire complex nearly became another architectural fatality recently when the government threatened to raze it to build skyscrapers, the fledgling community caught a break at the last minute and renewed their leases. Feet planted a bit more firmly in the concrete, 696 has sprouted a couple of low-profile galleries in addition to the 30-something artists who rent studio space there.

Source: Smart Shanghai
See also an article about the space.

 

696 Weihai Lu

between Maoming Nan Lu and Shanxi Nan Lu

Shanghai

China