At the time of research, the workers at the laminated plastics factory SLOPAST, in the industrial zone of Okhta, a 20 minute bus ride east of Ploshchad Lenina, were the first, fortunate audience for what is shaping up to be one of Russia's contemporary art highlights. The Street Art Museum aims to be fully up and running by 2016 when the complex will have some 70 works of varying formats, the former boilerhouse will become an exhibition space, while the resin factory will be a concert venue and a skateboard park.
Covering 11 hectares and with 150,000–200,000 sq m of walls, SLOPAST is practically the perfect, post-industrial canvas for street artists. The factory has a busy production schedule but on a far smaller footprint of its site than during Soviet times.
It's not just the currently abandoned parts of the complex that are set of an spray canned artistic facelift. Some of the workshops are already decorated with epic works by the likes of top Russian streets artists Timothy Radya, Kirill Kto and Nikita Nomerz as well as the Spanish artist Escif. Before he died in 2013, Pasha 183, frequently referred to as Russia's Banksy because of his anonymity, also contributed 'Walls Don't Sleep' a beautiful monochrome mural based on an image of Soviet factory workers.
