Art on Ice 2018
I’ve been producing Art on Ice for 10 years now. Of course I’m proud of every single show, but when I’m asked about my absolute favourite, until recently I always said the 2018 show about the Beltracchi story. (Spoiler: there will be a further highlight in 2025). But first things first…
Until then I didn’t know his incredible story (and if you’re in the same situation, I can highly recommend the documentary about him entitled “The Art of Forgery). When Oliver Höner told me that he had met the artist Wolfgang Beltracchi and that he was willing to make his art and his story available to the show, I was curious. After conducting a little research, I knew that it was a gift. Such a story only comes around once.
Wolfgang Beltracchi, Art on Ice 2018
During my career as a show producer I have got to know many fascinating personalities. Wolfgang Beltracchi is, however, one of the few who have made a lasting impression on me. Not just his truly incredible story, but also his profound knowledge of art and art history, heightened my perspective on questions such as “What is art?” “What can it do?” “What can’t it do?” “Is there anything it can’t do?” Beltracchi’s need to provoke made his story so exciting because isn’t that precisely the power of art – to annoy, to challenge, to push boundaries? These questions formed the starting point for a show told from the perspective of art itself.
Audio excerpt from the intro to Art on Ice 2018:
Apart from the storyline and musical highlights such as Pegasus and Emeli Sandé, the stage design of an oversized, abstract gallery for Wolfgang Beltracchi’s works of art was, to my mind, unforgettable. The costume designs became living continuations of the paintings. Everything about this show was just right and completely lived up to the name “Art on Ice”.
My second favourite show. One that marked my 10th anniversary with Art on Ice. This show was also exceptional in so many ways. An absolute musical high point for me was Paloma Faith! We’d had the British singer on our wish list for seven years, not just because her songs are superb, but also because of her eccentric but loveable personality that brought something extra special to the show. My emotional highlight of this show was Stress. I still admire him today for his courage in talking so frankly and vulnerably about his depression. The moment in the show when he read from his book and asked the audience to be “the light in the darkness for a loved one” is permanently etched into my memory and heart. The subsequent sea of lights in the auditorium was proof that we humans have an incredible strength – unity.
Another milestone in this show was Gabriella Papadakis and Madison Hubbell. They made ice-dancing history with their same-sex routine. It was a great honour for me to make a contribution to something that gives many people courage and simultaneously shows what art can be: a mirror, liberation, a new beginning.
It’s an old showbiz saying that if the dress rehearsal goes too well, then the first show will be a disaster. Like everything else in life, everything doesn’t always run smoothly and this includes hitches. Sometimes you fall in love with an idea and are forced to realise in the end that it won’t work. Humour is a good example of this. In the past we have sometimes incorporated a joke into the voiceover that we thought was incredibly funny at the time, but which the audience didn’t respond to at all. Or the 2023 excerpt from Caveman that caused more frowns than enthusiasm. Humour is very much down to personal taste, and even as an experienced show producer it’s absolutely possible to put your foot in it.
And then there’s good old technology. In 2019 we had a spectacular, very expensive prop, a steampunk airship, that simply wouldn’t take off at the premiere because of a technical fault. The only thing you can do is keep a cool head and improvise. Still, luckily the airship didn’t crash-land and the public didn’t realise there had been a breakdown.
Ideas come about in a plethora of ways. From meetings, such as with Oliver and Wolfgang Beltracchi. Or from personal experience, observations and, above all, curiosity.
I personally believe that curiosity and love of the unknown are a creative person’s greatest motivation. As someone who works in a creative industry, I simply cannot understand why, in today’s world, the surprising and different are so often perceived as threats. Artistic souls, on the other hand, long for precisely that – the unexpected, the dichotomy, the provocation. And I am convinced that mankind needs art and therefore its artists. Art is the spark that inspires, opens doors, highlights new paths and makes innovation possible. This is why Gabriella and Madison’s performance was so important. The possibility of two same-sex skaters dancing with each other doesn’t detract from anyone. It enriches this wonderful sport by another perspective.
The stories that touch us most are those that concern us all. This is precisely why the 2025 show was so successful. Never before have we had so much feedback. Strangers wrote to me about how moved they were, how grateful they felt that we had shone a light on the taboo subject of depression.
Dramatisation also feeds on contradictions. One moment Stress moved the audience to tears with his honesty, just a few minutes later everyone was on their feet as the audience jumped up and celebrated. The auditorium shook; it gave me goosebumps. To me, that is the definition of entertainment. No light without darkness. No laughter without tears. A good show takes the audience through these extremes. In the end there remains a shared experience that brings us nearer to each other and ourselves.
Our big anniversary is looming. 30 years of Art on Ice. Expectations are high… Not just externally, but on our side too. Every year we want to outdo the last show. The anniversary is increasing this pressure.
During my research I repeatedly come across a quote from Reto Caviezel and Oliver Höner: “No one would have thought that this crazy idea would turn into something so big.”
And this makes me think about expectations and external pressure. And how, back then, a certain artist called Wolfgang Beltracchi crossed our path and inspired production of the show by asking: What does the audience expect? What is the value of art when it tries to please? What if you simply continue despite all the resistance? If you believe in your dream, your art, your style and trust your inner voice…? As once did Reto and Oliver, who simply turned a crazy idea into reality. Against all odds.
If you are now curious about the anniversary show, then I’m pleased that my attitude towards curiosity should now be known.
Marcella Camenzind is Head of Creation & Design at Art on Ice and has been part of the show department since 2015. The 43-year-old has a soft spot for animated films and comics and loves rummaging through flea markets. She finds inspiration and ideas for the show in music, films and podcasts.
