Felippe Moraes
Não deixe o samba morrer/acabar (Don’t Let the Samba Die/End), 2021
Neon
Estação da Luz – São Paulo (2021)
The work Não deixe o samba morrer/acabar (2021), by Felippe Moraes, is a neon artwork displaying the phrase “Não deixe o samba morrer/acabar,” a line that echoes the celebrated samba composed by Edson Conceição and Aloísio Silva. The song became widely known through Alcione’s interpretation, recorded in 1975, and remains one of the most emblematic statements in Brazilian musical culture. It was first shown at Estação da Luz in São Paulo during the Samba da Luz project in 2021.
By translating this line into the language of neon, Moraes turns an expression originally sung into a visual and spatial presence. The phrase ceases to exist only within the realm of music and comes to occupy physical space as a luminous image. The gesture translates the sonic memory of samba into material form, bringing together word, light and perceptual experience.
The continuous glow of the neon intensifies the sense of appeal present in the line. Appearing as a luminous inscription, the phrase projects its call beyond music and addresses itself directly to the public standing before the work.
Felippe Moraes
Samba da Luz, 2025
Video 360º
4’36”
Selected Exhibitions
- 2025 – Solfejo – CAIXA Cultural Curitiba (Paraná, Brazil)
- 2025 – Solfejo – CAIXA Cultural Rio de Janeiro (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil)
- 2024 – Solfejo – CAIXA Cultural Brasília (Distrito Federal, Brazil)
- 2023 – Jardim das Esculturas – ArtRio (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil)
- 2021 – Samba Exaltação – MAC Niterói (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil)
- 2021 – Samba da Luz – Estação da Luz (São Paulo, Brazil)