Autocenter

For the past thirteen years, Autocenter has put its stamp on Berlin's contemporary arts scene. Founded in 2001 by Maik Schierloh and Joep van Liefland in a former auto body shop in Berlin-Friedrichshain, Autocenter has become an indispensable fixture of the city's arts scene and one of its most important venues. In March 2013, Autocenter moved to Berlin's Mitte district, where it continues to present exhibitions and projects by German and international artists in rapid succession.

The 160 shows featuring work by more than 750 artists have always been transient affairs – in the early years, most exhibitions were on display for a mere two days – so fans have long waited for a review in a less perishable format. The book is a survey of the artists who visited or moved to Berlin in the past thirteen years and shows how contemporary art changed over time. Autocenter has not only been a keen observer of the city's arts scene, it also helped shape its evolution. Designed with the austere clarity of an archive, the book constitutes a sort of database of the art made in Berlin during the first decade of the new century. With a conversation between Maik Schierloh, Joep van Liefland, and Kolja Reichert as well as essays by Jennifer Allen and Thibaut de Ruyter.