The story of Iskunsten

Created during the first COVID-19 lockdown

In the spring of 2020, we experienced something we had never experienced before. A virus called “Corona” had spread to such a serious extent in Denmark that, on 11 March 2020, the Prime Minister addressed the nation and, on a large scale, “shut Denmark down”. The doors of Jyllandsakvariet were then closed for more than two months, all events were cancelled, and meetings were cancelled as well. Suddenly, Thyborøn was very quiet. But this also freed up time and created an opportunity to breathe new life into an old dream.

Jyllandsakvariet had an old freezer house that had stood empty after the fish exporter who had rented it for many years decided to move its production the year before. The dream of filling the freezer house with ice art suddenly seemed possible, and the closure of the aquarium and cancellation of outdoor tours freed up the time needed to get the project off the ground.

After many months of intensive work, we were ready to open the doors on 2 July that same year. The day before, we had already welcomed our first invited guests for the opening of the very first exhibition.

The very first exhibition will always hold a very special place in our memories

The first exhibition had one central theme: Maritime Magic. It was a perfect fit for Thyborøn, its maritime heritage and the other activities at Jyllandsakvariet.

The exhibition was created in collaboration with 11 Danish artists, each with their own approach to ice and ice art. It was an exciting process, and we owe a very special thanks to Søren Cip Nielsen (ice artist and owner of Ice-Team), who played an important role in helping to organise it.

Since then, there have been many more exhibitions, but the very first one will always hold a very special place in our memories.