LAUSANNE.- From 10 February to 25 September 2016, The Olympic Museum celebrates Rio with a programme wholly dedicated to the culture and flavour of the city and of Brazil, host of the Olympic Games.

To mark the Games of the XXXI Olympiad, The Olympic Museum showcases Brazilian culture’s diversity, exuberance and energy. For seven months, impressive programmes will lend their rhythms to The Museum’s life with exhibitions from contemporary Carioca artists, a carnival showcasing a famous samba school, nights at The Museum, European premieres for some Brazilian films and the European Capoeira Championships.

Destination Rio is a first at The Olympic Museum. It starts during the carnival in Rio and will reach its peak over the summer, with the two weeks of The Olympic Games. This explosion of colour and energy will permeate all other events at The Museum. Destination Rio is a free-of-charge programme. Entrance fees will remain for the permanent exhibition.

The body in movement, a key element of Brazilian culture, is at the heart of Destination Rio. It is shown throughout The Museum, from the Park to the TOM Café and the temporary exhibitions. One of the temporary exhibitions is dedicated to Rio’s transformation while another gives room to the Carioca artistic avantguard, which plays up the Cidade maravilhosa’s rhythms and diversity.

The Olympic Park, first steps into Brazilian culture
Just like a stroll in Copacabana, the route is interspersed with stands offering information on Brazil. Starting at the end of March, artist Felipe Barbosa’s strange little creatures provide a touch of colour and fun, combined with photos of some of Brazil’s greatest athletes: an ideal setting for a warm-up!

“Destination Rio: The Games” Exhibition (The Galery, level 2)
Presentation of the Olympic Games in Rio through the organisation, the Look of the Games, the sports on the programme, the athletes and, of course, the essential elements: the Torch Relay, the mascots and the medals. The exhibition will also highlight the legacy that these Games will have for the host city.

“Destination Rio: Rhythms and Diversity” Exhibition (Focus Space, level 1)
An exploration of the physical vocabulary of Brazilian culture through music, dance, popular festivals and sport: a full immersion into the rhythms and movement of Brazil, focusing on contemporary art and photography.

The artists chosen to exhibit their work at The Olympic Museum represent a sample of Brazil’s contemporary art scene. Many of them are showing their work in Switzerland, or in Europe, for the first time. They express both Rio’s power of transformation and the harmonious diversity of cultures coming together. One will be able to discover the works of Felipe Barbosa, Heleno Bernardi, Marcos Cardoso, Maria Nepomuceno, Zemog, Alex Flemming and Adriana Varejao.