Felipe Dmab, Pedro Mendes and Matthew Wood
The trio’s five-year-old, Mendes Wood DM, have the purpose to exhibit international and Brazilian artists in a context conducive to critical dialogue and cross-pollination. Central to the gallery’s program is a concern for regional difference and individuation while fostering cosmopolitanism and collaboration. Their international network is impressive – much travelling and supporting their artist’s institutional forays has ensured that – and their collector base spreads beyond Brazil. One might still forgive Dmab, Mendes and Wood if they battened down the hatches to navigate a safe passage through these rough seas, yet there’s no sign of that. Immersive art-fair booths have become a thing for the team when taking the message abroad: Cibelle Cavalli Bastos’s fun-palace of kitsch felt apt for Art Basel Miami Beach last December, and Daniel Steegmann Mangrané’s solo booth at Frieze New York was just as seductive, albeit in a quieter manner. At home, the gallery programmed its typical mix of represented artists – Runo Lagomarsino and Paulo Monteiro among them – and invited guests, including their last group show curated by Milovan Farronato with artists from Chipre and Bangladesh.
