The work is part of the Open-Air Museum project by ArtRio in partnership with Blood OOH, and also marks the launch of the artist’s official website.
Starting May 16th, visual artist Felippe Moraes takes over the LED panel of the Gloriamar Building, on the Aterro do Flamengo waterfront, with the work Minha Missão (My Mission). Visible 24 hours a day, the animation displays in sequence the phrases ANUNCIAR O DIA and AMENIZAR A NOITE (Announce the Day / Ease the Night) facing the sea. The action is part of the Museu a Céu Aberto (Open-Air Museum) project, by ArtRio in partnership with Blood OOH, and coincides with the launch of the artist’s official website, felippemoraes.com.
The work quotes the samba Minha Missão (1981), by João Nogueira and Paulo César Pinheiro, in which the songwriters sing: [Song lyric excerpt – “Minha Missão,” João Nogueira & Paulo César Pinheiro, 1981; omitted here for copyright reasons.] Moraes borrows the line to speak about his own practice.
“My work draws on light, words, and samba. In this project, the three come together again to speak to why we, as artists, do what we do. Each one, in its own way, seeks to announce new ideas, illuminate the darkness, and ease the night.“
There is also a detail he doesn’t let pass: “There’s a poetic sense of humor in using the verb ‘to announce’ on a billboard — something that exists precisely to make announcements.”
The line has traveled through other contexts before. A circular neon piece by the artist bearing the same words has been part of the permanent collection of the Museu de Arte do Rio since 2021, and was on view at the SESC Winter Festival, in Petrópolis, in 2025. The work belongs to the Samba Exaltação (Exalting Samba) series, begun by the artist in 2021, in which he draws on Brazilian popular song as raw material for urban interventions.
“This is the first time I’m presenting an urban light work in Rio de Janeiro. Like João Nogueira, I’m from Méier. Developing a work of this scale to speak with my city means looking back at my origins, at the symbols we share as cariocas, and at what I want to say as a poet of the image.“
The launch of the website felippemoraes.com happens in parallel. The platform brings together a broad overview of the artist’s work, with critical texts, exhibition records, and interviews gathered over more than sixteen years of career. “I’m presenting the site as an overview of my thinking and my work, which is why it makes sense to launch it with this phrase. It’s a way of looking back at my trajectory and reflecting on my mission.”
The animation also features a QR code directing visitors to exclusive content, accessible only this way. The work can be seen from the Aterro do Flamengo, especially by those driving toward downtown (Centro) or walking near the Monumento aos Pracinhas and Praça Paris.
Details
Minha Missão, Felippe Moraes
LED panel, Gloriamar Building, Aterro do Flamengo, Rio de Janeiro
May 16–31, 2026
Visible 24 hours, free and open to the public