Fairmont Rio debuts “Delírios” by Daniel Ramalho

Fairmont Rio de Janeiro Copacabana presents “Delírios”, by Daniel Ramalho, an immersive photography show on Rio’s Carnival at Sapucaí, on view until March.

The Fairmont Rio de Janeiro Copacabana is debuting the photography exhibition “Delírios”, by Rio-based photojournalist Daniel Ramalho, who offers an interactive Carnival experience through images that capture not only scenes but also movement and emotion on the Sapucaí runway. On view until March, the show is part of the Fairmont Art Gallery project and underscores the hotel’s strong cultural vocation.

Spread across common and private areas of the hotel, the works invite guests and visitors to immerse themselves in the art world in direct dialogue with the iconic backdrop of Copacabana Beach. The initiative is aligned with Fairmont Rio’s goal of creating memorable moments and bringing Brazilian artistic production closer to the public in a luxury hospitality setting.

Partnership with curator Christiane Laclau

To enhance this cultural profile, the hotel renews for the third consecutive year its partnership with curator, manager and art advisor Christiane Laclau, a specialist in contemporary art. Just like Fairmont, Christiane has Brazil and Rio de Janeiro as permanent sources of inspiration and appreciation in her work.

For the first exhibition of 2026, Christiane invited Daniel Ramalho to present “Delírios”, his authorial take on Rio’s Carnival. The show adds to the history of the Fairmont Art Gallery, which has already hosted acclaimed artists such as Alberto Saraiva, Marcos Cardoso, Ana Coutinho, Isabel Becker, Sérgio Reis Allevato and Esther Bonder, among others.

Carnival in motion through Daniel Ramalho’s lens

A key name in Rio’s press, Daniel Ramalho has covered three editions of the Olympic Games (2008, 2012 and 2016) and the 2014 World Cup. Yet it is in Rio’s Carnival — the main theme of the Fairmont Rio exhibition — that his artistic approach becomes most evident, with a sharp eye for storylines, backstage dynamics and the emotions that unfold all around him on the avenue.

In “Delírios”, Carnival appears as a living experience, grounded in the beauty present in each fleeting instant. The photographs evoke a dreamlike atmosphere, built through the alternation of sharply defined areas and blurred zones, as if translating the collective trance of Sapucaí into layers of light, color and rhythm.

This layered treatment allows different moments of the parade to coexist in a single image, offering multiple readings at every glance. The series reinforces the immersive nature of the exhibition, bringing viewers closer to the energy of the samba schools, the revelers and the city itself during Carnival.

“Daniel Ramalho’s photography is seductive: the vital force it carries brings motion back to the still image and invites us into the scene. What starts through the eye quickly expands to other senses. Element by element, hyperstimulation is built — from colors to shine, from gestures to rhythm, from revelers to the picture itself,” says curator Christiane Laclau.

Fairmont Art Gallery on the sixth floor

The exhibition “Delírios” is part of the Fairmont Art Gallery project, which presents works by different artists under the curatorship of Christiane Laclau. With her expertise and refined eye, she has turned the sixth floor of Fairmont Rio — where check-in takes place, overlooking Copacabana Beach and Sugarloaf Mountain — into a fully fledged art gallery.

“Daniel Ramalho is one of the leading names in contemporary photography, and his work invites us to see Rio de Janeiro’s Carnival through a more poetic and human lens. It is an art that goes beyond contemplation — it is felt. For Fairmont Rio, it is a privilege to host an artist who contributes so strongly to the cultural scene of the city,” says Netto Moreira, general manager of Accor’s luxury cluster in Rio de Janeiro.

Credit: Daniel Ramalho