Mendes Wood DM was founded in São Paulo in 2010 by Felipe Dmab, Matthew Wood, and Pedro Mendes to exhibit international and Brazilian artists in a context conducive to critical dialogue and the cross-pollination of ideas. Inspired by a belief that artistic practices broaden the scope of human agency and have the power to change the world, the gallery cultivates a program premised on conceptualism, political resistance, and intellectual rigor. Central to the program is a concern for regional difference and individuation while still fostering cosmopolitanism and collaboration.
In 2017, Mendes Wood DM inaugurated its first European exhibition space in Brussels, founded in partnership with longtime friend and collaborator Carolyn Drake Kandiyoti. Located on three floors of a historic townhouse, the gallery lends itself to ambitious curatorial projects and comprehensive monographic exhibitions.
In 2022, Mendes Wood DM opened an exhibition space in New York’s Tribeca neighborhood. The expansion is a natural evolution of the gallery’s presence in North America, emphasizing a meaningful conversation with the Global South and affirming the gallery’s commitment to mounting significant exhibitions for a wider audience.
The gallery established a Paris location in 2023. The exhibition space is housed on the first two levels of the Hôtel de l’Escalopier in the Place des Vosges in the Marais. The building dates to the early seventeenth century and is situated at the northern entrance of the oldest planned square in Paris. This new step is a reflection of a long-standing dream to create a space of artistic exchange in a city that both nourishes and inspires Mendes Wood DM.
