As the 2018 Winter Olympics come to a close next week, it’s time to shift our focus from athletics back to the art world. Just as the summer’s sand sculptors reminded us that artists don’t take holidays, so the snow sculptors continue to amaze us with their winter artistry. A multitude of snow and ice sculpting competitions this winter will attract artists from all over the world, and while their sculptures may not come to life when decorated with a top hat, they certainly create the art lover’s winter wonderland.
Here are some highlights from past competitions that will warm you up for a trip to one of these snow-covered galleries:
Door Master from the 2016 US National Snow Sculpting Competition
With comparable skill to that of the classical master marble sculptors, Team Wisconsin won the gold and the “People’s Choice” award at the US National Snow Sculpting Competition in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin.
Thinker from the 2018 International Snow Sculpture Championships
Team China’s imaginative take on Rodin’s masterpiece took both the silver medal and the “Kid’s Choice” award at this year’s International Snow Sculpture Championships held in Breckenridge, Colorado.
The Four Seasons in Perspective from the 2018 US National Snow Sculpting Competition
Team Vermont’s awe-inspiring work demonstrates that snow sculpture is not limited to simple realism. Their abstract design, the artists describe, “symbolizes the many aspects that fuse our climate together to work as one, the subtle changes of the seasons, how graceful the changing natural world is, and how tenuous the balance of holding it together can seem to be.”
Medusa from the 2017 Sapporo International Snow Sculpture Contest
Team USA displayed a deep understanding of historical sculpture in their homage to Bernini’s famous work of the same name.
PPAP from the 2017 Sapporo International Snow Sculpture Contest
We’ve saved the best for last: if you haven’t seen this amazing music video, do yourself a favor and feast your eyes on the best that Youtube has to offer. The sculpture brilliantly encapsulates all of the lovable strangeness that we search for on our internet adventures.
