Alessandro Digaetano Photographer

The Factory is often compared to New York's SOHO and its metamorphoses from a neglected industrial district to a trendy center for contemporary art. Factory 798 was similarly discovered by a small group of artists who quickly converted the abandoned complex into a thriving artist colony. The design of the space, its secluded location in the north-eastern part of the city and cheap rents made it appealing to artists seeking studio space and a place to collaborate and congregate...Originally constructed in the 1950's as a military electronics plant with help from the East Germans, the Bauhaus-style factory was designed for optimum light and productivity. Today, the open, elegant structure, with its still intact Mao Zedong slogans emphasizing Marxist-Leninist thought, serves as an ideal setting for the artist studios, commercial galleries, cafes, bars and restaurants that occupy the complex. Many of the spaces have been renovated while retaining the essence and character of the original architecture. ..The fate of the complex is uncertain. The rapidly expanding downtown threatens to overwhelm the complex and the real estate may be too valuable for developers to resist. A Sui Jianguo opera along the way...