Laughing Heartily / Laughing Out Loud

Commissioned for the exhibition "Brazil of the Future: The Forms of Democracy," held at the National Museum of the Republic in 2023 as part of the official celebrations for President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s inauguration, this work investigates laughter as a political act. The piece consists of a video installation featuring a plurality of Brazilian faces laughing with a wide range of intentions—from nervous laughter and relief-filled catharsis to pure euphoria and celebration. The work also includes a performance piece that culminated in the signing of the "Laughter Decree" by President Lula himself, symbolically institutionalizing the right to happiness as a tool against tyranny. The title draws from the Portuguese expression rir a bandeiras despregadas (literally "to laugh with flags unfurled"), whose origin dates back to the age of discovery: upon returning victorious, ships would release their flags to flutter freely in the wind, signaling their triumph to those on land from a distance.