There’s perhaps no more-clichéd party trope than the ice sculpture—but Shintaro Okamoto is challenging the idea that ice carving is all swans and shot luges with his contemporary, art-focused approach. “We’re a true artist collective,” he says. “Everyone who works here is an artist of their own strengths—painters, sculptors, architects, designers—and they’re flexing a range of creative muscles with a focus on what’s possible with ice.”
With degrees in fine arts and painting, Okamoto, 39, started the New York–based company in 2003 with his late father. “We saw a need in the event industry for a fresh sensibility that I felt I could bring with my art-world background,” he says. Whether it’s recreating the New York skyline at a Stella McCartney presentation or sculpting a larger-than-life, highly detailed astronaut for Axe, Okamoto says he loves “bringing Old World sculptural elements into a contemporary context.”
His most recent work includes experimenting with interaction—last summer, Okamoto collaborated with Old Navy to freeze 800 pairs of the brand’s flip-flops in a giant block of ice; as the ice melted, passersby grabbed a free pair. He has also introduced an ice graffiti wall for events that allows guests to use a battery-operated tool to doodle on the ice. “People are fascinated by the process of expressing themselves with ice,” he says.