Karnawał w Rio (Carnival in Rio) is a series inspired by Dobkowski’s stay in South America in the mid-1980s. Created between 1997 and 2008, the minimally-coloured canvases use a technique of diagonal lines to create dancing figures, an exploration of how much life can be depicted using a minimum of actual form.

By the end of the creation of the series Dobkowski had created more than fifty Karnawał w Rio paintings.