The Laundry SF
The Laundry SF is a contemporary art gallery, event venue, and café in San Francisco's Mission District.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
The Laundry SF, also known simply as The Laundry, is a contemporary art gallery, event space, and café located in San Francisco's Mission District. Established in 2015 by Sara Ahmadian, Andrew Swerdlow, Gianmatteo Costanza, and Dan Fredinburg, it combines exhibition-making with public programming and hospitality rather than operating solely as a conventional commercial gallery. Its program has included work by emerging and established artists from the Bay Area and beyond, alongside events involving civic discussion, fine art, music, comedy, and live performance. The venue takes its name from the history of the building it occupies. Constructed in 1932, the property was later acquired by a French family in the 1940s, who operated a French laundry service there. That earlier use became the conceptual basis for the present-day name and links the gallery to the neighborhood's architectural and commercial history. The Laundry's exhibition program has addressed subjects including mortality, immigration, identity, race, technology, and American civic life. Its projects have used different formats, including group exhibitions, pop-up events, immersive experiences, and solo presentations. In 2016, the venue hosted "Art of Dying," a group exhibition involving virtual and augmented reality. Its 2017 programming included "I am an Immigrant," a pop-up exhibition and event, and "Vanity II." In 2018, it presented "Second Chance," a virtual-reality experience designed for small groups. The following year included a solo exhibition by Suzy Kellems Dominik and the project "INVISIBLE, We the People," as well as "Race, Identity and the New Great American Stories." Beyond visual art, The Laundry has been associated with Koomaj Kitchen, a restaurant partnership that brought traditional Northern Iranian food to San Francisco. The venue has also appeared on screen: several scenes in the Netflix documentary The Social Dilemma were filmed there. These activities reflect The Laundry's broader positioning as a multidisciplinary cultural space where exhibitions, food, performance, conversation, and media production overlap. Available reference material does not establish a separate corporate parent, public listing, current executive roster, or a confirmed current exhibition schedule.
History
The Laundry SF was founded in 2015 in San Francisco's Mission District by Sara Ahmadian, Andrew Swerdlow, Gianmatteo Costanza, and Dan Fredinburg. From its inception, it was structured as more than a traditional gallery: its activities brought together contemporary art, public discussion, performance, food, and social events. The venue's name refers to the history of its building. The structure was erected in 1932, and a French family later acquired it in the 1940s and operated a French laundry service there. That former use provided the historical identity for the contemporary cultural space. The Laundry developed a program involving both emerging and established artists from the Bay Area and international or otherwise globally connected creative communities. Its public activities have extended across fine arts, civic themes, music, comedy, and live performance. This multidisciplinary approach has allowed the venue to function simultaneously as an exhibition site, an event space, and a café. Its documented exhibition history began with "Art of Dying" in 2016, a group exhibition involving virtual and augmented reality and curated by Lindsay Saunders and Kelly Vicars of Dream Logic. In 2017, the venue hosted "I am an Immigrant," described as a pop-up exhibition and event, and also presented "Vanity II." In 2018, "Second Chance" used virtual reality to create a two-hour immersive experience for groups of ten people at a time. The 2019 program included a solo exhibition by Suzy Kellems Dominik, the project "INVISIBLE, We the People," and "Race, Identity and the New Great American Stories," continuing the venue's engagement with questions of identity, representation, civic life, and contemporary American culture. The Laundry has also participated in food and hospitality programming through a partnership with Koomaj Kitchen, which brought traditional Northern Iranian cuisine to San Francisco. Its physical setting and flexible programming have made it suitable for media production as well as public cultural events. Several scenes in the Netflix documentary The Social Dilemma were filmed at the venue. The available reference material does not document later ownership changes, a formal executive structure, financial results, public-market status, or a comprehensive current program. Accordingly, the historical record in this dossier is limited to the documented founding, venue history, exhibitions, partnership, and filming activity.
- 2019
Identity- and civic-themed exhibitions
[1]The program includes work by Suzy Kellems Dominik, "INVISIBLE, We the People," and "Race, Identity and the New Great American Stories."
- 2018
Second Chance
[1]The gallery presents a two-hour immersive virtual-reality experience for groups of ten participants.
- 2017
I am an Immigrant and Vanity II
[1]The Laundry documents a pop-up exhibition and event titled "I am an Immigrant" and a presentation titled "Vanity II."
- 2016
Art of Dying
[1]The venue presents a virtual- and augmented-reality group exhibition curated by Lindsay Saunders and Kelly Vicars of Dream Logic.
- 2015
The Laundry SF is founded
[1]Sara Ahmadian, Andrew Swerdlow, Gianmatteo Costanza, and Dan Fredinburg establish the contemporary cultural venue.
- 1940
The site becomes a French laundry
[1]A French family acquires the building during the 1940s and opens a French laundry service, giving the later gallery its name.
- 1932
The building is constructed
[1]The building later occupied by The Laundry SF is erected in San Francisco's Mission District.
Products and positioning
A multidisciplinary cultural venue combining contemporary art exhibitions with civic and creative programming, live events, hospitality, and immersive media.
Gallery program · 2015
Contemporary art exhibitions
The Laundry SF curates exhibitions featuring emerging and established artists from the Bay Area and wider creative communities. Its documented subjects include mortality, immigration, race, identity, technology, and civic life. The program has used conventional gallery presentation as well as group shows, solo exhibitions, and pop-up formats.
Virtual and augmented reality · 2016
Immersive media experiences
The venue has presented technology-based art, including the virtual- and augmented-reality group exhibition "Art of Dying" and the small-group virtual-reality experience "Second Chance." These projects positioned the gallery as a site for participatory and immersive cultural work rather than only static exhibition viewing.
Events and performances · 2015
Public cultural programming
The Laundry's programming extends beyond exhibitions to civic conversations, fine-arts activities, music, comedy, and live performance. The flexible event-space model supports gatherings that connect visual culture with broader social and community subjects.
Hospitality
Café and food programming
The venue includes café activity and has been associated with Koomaj Kitchen. That partnership brought traditional Northern Iranian food to San Francisco and extended The Laundry's identity into food, hospitality, and cultural exchange.
Recent events
- 2018
The Laundry SF presents Second Chance[1]
Product launch
The gallery presented a two-hour immersive virtual-reality experience designed for groups of ten participants at a time.
- 2017
The Laundry SF hosts I am an Immigrant[1]
Other
The venue presented a pop-up exhibition and event addressing immigrant experience and identity.
- 2016
The Laundry SF presents Art of Dying[1]
Other
The gallery hosted a group exhibition focused on death and dying that incorporated virtual- and augmented-reality work. The exhibition was curated by Lindsay Saunders and Kelly Vicars of Dream Logic.
The Social Dilemma films scenes at The Laundry SF[1]
Other
The San Francisco venue was used as a filming location for several scenes in the Netflix documentary The Social Dilemma.
Sources1 sources
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