Art galleries intro

The low cost of living draws thousands of artists to Berlin, but low rent is also how their gallerists survive, as there are few buyers in Berlin. Though galleries remain in the west, such as on Mommsenstraße, most tourists are drawn to Mitte. The former artist collective Tacheles on Oranienburger Straße has devolved into a tourist attraction; some artists, largely of the self-schooled variety, ask for a donation to tour their rooms there. Contemporary galleries are peppered throughout the Scheunenviertel: Auguststraße, Weydingerstraße, the Sophie-Gips-Höfe, and Hackescher Höfe to name a few places.