Carving beauty from ice

With 20 years of international expertise in the rare art of ice sculpting, Rodrigo Ferreira, an Algarve-based sculptor, is determined to bring high-quality ice sculpting to Portugal, showcasing that the sky really is the limit when it comes to this ethereal craft.

Rodrigo’s career has taken him around the world, previously living in both Amsterdam and London. The latter location, where he lived for 10 years, is where he completed his master’s degree and gained experience at notable ice, snow and even pumpkin carving events.

From Sand to Ice

Rodrigo’s career began in 2003 at Sand City, formerly known as FIESA, the Algarve’s renowned sand sculpture festival, where he began sculpting with sand. It was through the sand sculpting community that he discovered an interesting connection. “I found out that a lot of sand sculptors worked with ice and that idea always stayed in the back of my mind. It was always the material that fascinated me the most,” he revealed.

When asked which medium is more challenging, Rodrigo replied, “Sand is closer to working with clay and you can always add more material but with ice, if you add more material on, you can always see that, so it is less forgiving. They are quite different materials and it is lovely to work with both of them but I am more drawn to ice.”

In 2009, he received his first invitation to an ice sculpting competition on the border of Finland, next to the country’s largest lake. Rodrigo recounted this defining moment. “I had not seen snow prior to my first ice and snow sculpting competition. It was really exciting to be part of something like that, it was at Saimaa Gardens, which was covered in snow and it was such an idyllic landscape. I arrived a couple of days early and collected ice from the lake and I was involved in the whole process. It was really heart-warming, challenging and exciting so a real highlight for me. I was awarded first prize and it sparked a lot of the experiences after that, that prize opened a lot of doors to the international community to these events, which are quite hard to get into.”

Another major highlight came when Rodrigo won second prize at the International Ice Sculpture Competition, “Art Meets Ice” in Helsinki. He explained what made it even more special was that he also received the “Sculptor’s Choice” award. “That was one of the most prestigious awards I’ve ever won because it was my peers who selected it. To be recognised by other artists and be awarded two prizes in one competition was very exciting!”, he recalled.

Recreating a Palace

Rodrigo’s latest masterpiece is a breathtaking recreation of the historic Crystal Palace (“Paleis voor Volksvlijt”), exhibited at “Art Below Zero”, one of Europe’s most prestigious ice sculpture exhibitions in Amsterdam. The exhibition remains open until 2 March 2025, captivating visitors from all around the world.

“When I first saw the scale of the project, I thought, ‘Wow, I am really going to do this!’” Rodrigo shared, adding, “The original Paleis voor Volksvlijt, inspired by London’s Crystal Palace, burned down in 1929 and bringing back the memory of something lost was a big responsibility, but I think the result speaks for itself. I’m very happy with how it turned out.”

“The monumental sculpture took 11 days of intensive work, eight hours a day. Standing at 10 meters wide, six meters high, and two meters deep, it was carved from six tons of ice, using chainsaws with various blades and razor-sharp chisels.”

Bringing Ice to the Algarve

Rodrigo is now focused on bringing ice sculpting to Portugal, particularly the Algarve. “Ice sculpting is a great medium, widely used in the US and UK for weddings, corporate events, and restaurants,” he explained. “Recently, for New Year’s Eve, I delivered a piece to Dom’s Lake in Vilamoura—an oyster shell sculpture whereby guests could serve themselves oysters. The challenge now is reaching as many people as possible and showing them that high-quality ice sculpting is possible here.”

Alongside creating ice sculptures for all kinds of events, Rodrigo has a studio in Lagoa, where he is developing new projects. He also revealed that he is considering offering ice sculpting workshops, something he has previously done in Finland and the Netherlands. “Workshops are a great way to build a sense of community. I’m always eager to share my knowledge and work with this unique material,” he affirmed.

Algarve Art Scene

Rodrigo told The Portugal News that he is passionate about the Algarve’s growing art scene but believes there is room for improvement. “We have so much talent here, but we lack art events and more spaces to exhibit art. A local contemporary art museum would be great, something to bring artists together and showcase high-quality work,” he said. “With the number of expats moving here and local Portuguese artists gaining recognition, I think the Algarve’s art scene will thrive in the near future.”

As he looks to the future, Rodrigo hopes to continue introducing more people to this high-calibre art form and bring something new to events in the Algarve, “there is no limit to the clients' imagination and what can be done in ice sculpting”.

For more information and commissions, please visit https://rodrigoferreira.com/ and to keep up with the latest from the artist, you can find him at https://www.facebook.com/rodrigoferreiraescultor or @rodrigoferreira_escultor on Instagram.

Following undertaking her university degree in English with American Literature in the UK, Cristina da Costa Brookes moved back to Portugal to pursue a career in Journalism, where she has worked at The Portugal News for 3 years. Cristina’s passion lies with Arts & Culture as well as sharing all important community-related news.

Cristina da Costa Brookes