M50

50 Moganshan Lu, near Changhua Lu
21/6359-3923
www.m50.com.cn [1]

HOURS: Daily, gallery opening hours vary

METRO: Changshou Road (Line 7)

The epicenter of Shanghai’s contemporary art scene is a complex of renovated warehouses beside the Suzhou Creek in the north of the city. Engulfed in residential blocks, the area is unlovely on the whole, but worth a trip to see M50.

Shanghai’s modern art scene kicked off in the late 1980s when local artists met to discuss the politics of their work. A community grew up in the old Chunming Slub Mill and Xinhe Spinning Mill, which now form the main part of M50. Today, the complex is home to some excellent galleries, the most notable of which are island6 (home of the electronic art collective Liu Dao), Vanguard, Eastlink, Twocities, and the ShanghART Warehouse.

Pick up some coffee table tomes at Can’s Book and refresh with a coffee at the café near the complex entrance.