Destino común [Common Destiny]
Common Destiny originated from an image the artist Pablo Accinelli (Buenos Aires, 1983) encountered in a shop selling used appliances in São Paulo. The image, the artist states, revealed a tension between the physical and symbolic weight of the object and the visual delicacy of a straight line. At the time, the artist had been invited to present a show in an underground space in Buenos Aires—an environment defined primarily by social gathering and conversation rather than traditional exhibition viewing. The installation was conceived as a way to foreground this characteristic, using the invitation to view a simple straight line as a means of emphasizing the social dynamics of the space itself.
Upon opening, the work experienced a clear shift in authorship. Visitors interacted with the refrigerators as if they were in a domestic or social setting—opening them, taking drinks, and gathering to talk. The boundaries between exhibition and social event became increasingly ambiguous, producing a situation that functioned simultaneously as an artwork and as collective happening.
As the exhibition continued, visitors introduced new and unforeseen uses: bottles were left on top of the refrigerators, bizarre photographs were taken. When the general lighting of the exhibition space was turned off, the refrigerators themselves became the primary source of illumination, transforming the space into an environment resembling a bar, nightclub, or occupied supermarket. These developments were not predetermined, but they reinforced the work’s capacity to exist in multiple forms at once. Throughout the exhibition, the installation also functioned as a site for an interview, a social meeting place, and a party.
The second iteration of the work, now on view at GDA—an artist-run gallery dedicated to research-based practices in São Paulo—continues this approach. Installed in Barra Funda, a neighborhood shaped by its industrial past and contemporary creativity, the opening featured a live music set by a duo, followed by an interview/presentation and an end-of-year gathering.
Common Destiny thus reflects on shared use, collective authorship, and modes of coexistence, while also resonating with broader political contexts, including the ongoing violence in Palestine and the rise of far-right policies.
*The exhibition is a collaboration between the galleries GDA, Luisa Strina and Isla Flotante.