Roy Anderson and ice sculpture

At the inauguration of the Stockholm International Film Festival last week, two ice sculptures created by renowned Chinese artist Ai Weiwei were unveiled. Each in the shape of a lion, the two sculptures embody the Spotlight theme of this year’s festival: HOPE.

The ice sculptures have got a lot of attention since the unveiling on November 4. Actors, directors, festival visitors as well as the public have been showing their support for Ai Weiwei, by taking pictures of the sculptures and uploading them with #SFF14 and @aiww. Roy Andersson, Mikael Marcimain, Debra Granik, Nima Javidi, Daniél Espinosa and Céline Sciamma, amongst others, have been photographed with the sculptures.

“I think this was a beautiful gesture by the festival. I very much appreciate it” Roy Andersson states.

“I like the idea of sculptures that can symbolize change and allow the viewer and the citizen to see change. Thank you for the effort and will to create and to a festival that extends itself to a lot of artists from many places.” - Debra Granik, jury member and director of Winter’s Bone and Stray Dog.

The inspiration for Ai Weiwei’s artwork comes from the lion statues that guard the Forbidden City in Beijing. The melting of the ice is a part of the artwork, and symbolizes the gradual vanishing of oppressing power.