FIRST LOOK AT ICEHOTEL’S LATEST ART

Step inside a frozen jungle of Monstera-plants, sleep safe and sound with a gigantic mountain gorilla by your side – or drift away into the dreamland inside a cloud. Those are some of the creations waiting for this winter's guests at ICEHOTEL.

The entire ICEHOTEL opened December 15 on the riverbank in Jukkasjärvi, Sweden. With a total of 35 uniquely designed art- and deluxe suites, ice bar, ice ceremony hall and ice gallery, the guests are welcomed to experience an unforgettable night on ice and snow.

–       We have created the 28 rendition of ICEHOTEL this year and I think we've managed to refine Torne River better than ever. The art is exceptional with a great variation and we are looking forward to welcome guests from all over the world, says Arne Bergh who is Creative Director at ICEHOTEL.

36 artists from 17 different countries have created 15 totally unique art suites, a magnificent Main Hall, and a special ice ceremony hall. Everything, including the artwork, can only be experienced at ICEHOTEL during the winter in Jukkasjärvi. When the winter season is over, it all melts down and return to Torne River as part of a perfect cycle. The permanent part of ICEHOTEL will remain, with ICEBAR BY ICEHOTEL and 20 suites of ice and snow; three of which are completely new art suites.

Artists from every corner of the world

Amongst the seasonal suites, the guests can climb down in an underground mine with elements of crystal clear ice, created by the British brothers Hugh & Howard Miller. The gardener's daughter and jewelry designer Nina Kauppi, raised in a greenhouse, has together with her partner Johan Kauppi created a formidable jungle of Monstera-plants. And Alem Teklu from Ethiopia has together with Anne Karin Krogevoll from Norway made a suite inspired by the boat refugees' journey across the Mediterranean Sea, with the name "Daily Travellers".

Accompanying, the new year-round suites is the deluxe suite "34 meters" where artists Dave Ruane and Luca Roncoroni have carved a labyrinth of a 34-meter ice wall. The labyrinth leads to the heart of the suite – the bed. Lena Kriström and Nina Hedman have in the deluxe suite "The invisible invincible" created an army of marching women, 3 meters tall, invincible and anything but invisible. And German artist Franziska Agrawal has made the art suite "Danger: Thin Ice" where guests enter a bridge and walk across thin ice to get to the bed.

How ICEHOTEL was created

Mongolia, Ecuador, Argentina, USA, England, Ethiopia and Sweden are some of the countries represented at this year's art symposium in Jukkasjärvi. Some of the artists have visited ICEHOTEL before, while others have never even seen or experienced snow. What all of them have in common, is that they've been selected by ICEHOTEL's jury and invited to participate in this year's creation.

As a helping hand, the artists have had ICEHOTEL's art support and lightning team by their side, sharing their knowledge and experience of creating in ice and snow. The work with ICEHOTEL #28 started in March last year, when thousands of huge ice blocks were harvested from Torne River. The natural ice from Torne River has now transformed into art at this year's ICEHOTEL. Art that is as powerful as the nature surrounding everything.

This season's news

Besides a night amongst ice- and snow art, the visiting guests at ICEHOTEL can try activities like a northern lights tour on snowmobile, a half-day tour with dog sled, ice sculpting, arctic yoga, Jukkasjärvi Sauna Ritual and Wilderness dinner. There is also an opportunity to enjoy the award-winning food at ICEHOTEL Restaurant and at the Old Homestead in Jukkasjärvi.

New this year:

• Chef's table at The Veranda, ICEHOTEL Restaurant. Michelin awarded Head Chef Alexander Meier is presenting a twelve-course menu, focusing on local produce with an unforgettable "twist". Fir sprouts, cloudberry and sea buckthorn are some of the flavors found on the menu.
• Icegram. Give the ICEHOTEL experience a frosty icing on the cake with a bouquet of ice to the table or an ice message delivered to the hotel room.
• Ice Ceremony Hall. Love blossoms at ICEHOTEL and new this year are that the former ice church becomes an ice ceremony hall for weddings, engagements, vows or events.

ICEHOTEL #28 can be experienced between December 15, 2017, and April 15, 2018. After that, the permanent part of the hotel offers ice- and snow experiences year-round – thanks to solar energy.

ICEHOTEL #28 in numbers

• • In order to create the seasonal part of ICEHOTEL, 30,000 cubic meter snice, a mixture of ice and snow, has been used.
  • 500 tons of crystal clear natural ice have also been used to create the art, ice glasses and ice bars this year – the equivalent to the amount of liquid water running outside ICEHOTEL during the summer – every second!
  • For the chandeliers that are hanging in the breathtaking Main Hall, 1,000 hand-polished ice crystals were used.
  • Main Hall, reception and the ice ceremony hall in the seasonal part of ICEHOTEL have a "Flower Power"-theme and are created by Tjåsa Gusfors, Edith van de Wetering and Wilfred Stijger. The surfaces are decorated with 200 hand-sculpted flowers of ice and snow, and a frozen "flowerfall", like a waterfall of flowers. Inauguration ceremony Dec 21.

For pictures and press material, visit: https://www.icehotel.com/about-icehotel/press-media/
For interviews and more information, contact: Josefin Lindberg, PR & Media media@icehotel.com

ABOUT ICEHOTEL

ICEHOTEL in Jukkasjärvi opened in 1989 and is beside a hotel also an art exhibition with ever-changing original art made of ice and snow. ICEHOTEL is created in a new guise every winter, completely made from natural ice from Torne River, one of Sweden's national rivers and last untouched waters. When the winter season's hotel made from ice and snow has melted back into the river in the spring, a part of the hotel still stands, a place where visitors can experience the ice and snow year-round.