Art and artists revealed for Icehotel 35
Icehotel in Jukkasjärvi, the world-renowned hotel made entirely of ice and snow, is celebrating its 35th anniversary this winter with a breathtaking display of artistic creations.
The selection process for the international design competition is now completed and 27 talented artists from 13 countries have been chosen to bring their visions to life in Icehotel 35 and create the art suites, the Main Hall, and the Ceremony Hall.
From a colossal rhinoceros unexpectedly finding its way into a guest room to a mesmerizing bird's nest sculpted from ice and snow, the art suites, the Main Hall, and the Ceremony Hall promise to provide visitors with unforgettable experiences. Drawing inspiration from the rich Sami craft tradition and paying homage to the ancient goddess Gaia, the art in Icehotel 35 is set to captivate the imagination of guests when it opens on December 13th.
Over the years, Icehotel has been designed by award-winning creators and artists from all over the world. This year was no exception when 194 applicants from 40 countries, submitted 114 design concepts in the international design competition. A jury, including stylist Marjolein Vonk, design duo Nina and Johan Kauppi, Icehotel's Ice and Design manager Joakim Enmalm, and jury chairman Luca Roncoroni, Creative Director at Icehotel, meticulously selected the winning entries.
Roncoroni expressed the challenges faced by the jury in making their choices, given the abundance of ambitious and exciting applications.
"We had interesting discussions about everything from rhinos to labyrinths before we could agree on the 14 concepts that will become reality this winter," he said.
Celebrates 35 with surprises and a new ice barEvery winter, when the snow covers the small village of Jukkasjärvi in the north of Sweden, the artists together with the construction team, ice production, art support, and a lighting team, start the creation of the 2,800-square-meter seasonal hotel made entirely of snow and ice. The river’s ice transforms into unique artworks, that only live for the season, and then return to water when Icehotel melts in the spring.
Marie Herrey, CEO of Icehotel, shared her anticipation for the upcoming season, saying:
"I look forward to stepping into Icehotel 35 and showing the world what I believe will be a spectacular version of Icehotel. In addition to fantastic art, we will celebrate our 35 years with some surprises in and around the Icehotel, and also create a completely new theme at the Icebar in the permanent part of Icehotel."
The seasonal part of Icehotel will open its doors on December 13th, offering visitors a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to witness the ephemeral beauty of this iconic winter destination.
* In image, sketches: Whoops Wrong Room!! by AnnaSofia Mååg, Zig and Zag by Nicolas Triboulot, Ice Kiln by Jaeyual Lee and Daeho Lee.
ART AND ARTISTS ICEHOTEL 35
Icehotel 35: 12 Art Suites, 1 main hall, 1 ceremony hall
Áhku fáhcat Elisabeth Kristensen, Norway
Whoops Wrong Room!! AnnaSofia Mååg, Sweden
Zig and Zag Nicolas Triboulot, France
Flight Laura Marcos, Argentina & Coralie Quincey, France
Change Through Time Rob Harding, Uk & Timsam Harding, Spain
Näcken Tjåsa Gusfors & Sam Gusfors, Sweden
Antique Myths Viacheslav Iemelianenko, Ukraine & Sergiy Dyshlevyy
Ice Kiln Jaeyual Lee, US & Daeho Lee, Korea
Give Us a Kiss Carl Wellander & Malena Wellander, Sweden
Come Warm Up Isabelle Gasse & Joelle Gagnon, Canada
Hideaway Pieke Bergmans & Peter de Wit, the Netherlands
Yesterday´s Tomorrow Corban Warrington, South Africa
Main Hall Wouter Biegelaar the Netherlands & Viktor Tsarski, Bulgaria
Ceremony Hall: Gaia's Bloom Lisa Lindqvist & Kate Munro, UK
MEMBERS OF THE JURY ICEHOTEL 35
Marjolein Vonk, stylist, NDL
Nina Kauppi, designer, SWE
Johan Kauppi, designer, SWE
Joakim Enmalm, Icehotel Ice and Design Manager, SWE
Luca Roncoroni, Icehotel Creative Director (head of the jury), IT
SHORT FACTS: APPLICATION ICEHOTEL 35
114 unique applications
194 artists and designers
40 countries represented spread over 6 continents27 artists from 13 countries create Icehotel 35
For more information and interview requests please contact:
Josefin Lindberg, press@icehotel.com. Visit our press page for pictures and more press information.
ABOUT ICEHOTEL Icehotel opened in 1989 and is besides a hotel also an art exhibition with ever-changing art made out of ice and snow. ICEHOTEL is created in a new guise every winter, made completely from natural ice from the Torne River - one of Sweden's national rivers and last untouched waters. When the winter season's hotel has melted back to the river in the spring, a part of the hotel remains so that visitors can experience the ice and snow year-round.
FACTS ABOUT ICEHOTEL
44 warm hotel rooms
30 warm chalets
18 art and design suites made of ice (-5 degrees Celsius/23 F) open year round
36 art suites and ice rooms made of ice (-5 degrees Celsius/23 F) open every winter
1 accessibility adapted art suite made of ice (-5 degrees Celsius/23 F)
3 meeting rooms
1 ceremony hall made from ice and snow (in the winter hotel, open mid December to mid April)
1 movie theater made of ice and snow, open year round
1 exhibition room made from ice and snow
1 icebar
3 restaurants5 wilderness camps
