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If you missed Brooklyn’s surprise Snow King this weekend, you’re probably not alone—and given that temperatures will hover near 50 degrees today, you’re also probably too late.
After New York’s first real snowfall in years, a leftover pile of plowed snow on Atlantic Avenue was briefly transformed into a massive, hyper-detailed sculpture that quickly became one of the city’s most unlikely photo ops. First reported by the New York Post, the Snow King appeared outside the House of the Lord Pentecostal Church near Bond Street, where Belarusian artist Henrik Lojka carved a crowned, bearded face directly into the sidewalk snow.
The sculpture came together in roughly three hours and didn’t stay anonymous for long. Photos shared on Instagram and X, including by the popular @WhatIsNewYork account, sent curious New Yorkers to see it before it disappeared. By Sunday, around 50 people had stopped by to pose, stare and, in some cases, vandalize.
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Depending on who you asked, the Snow King looked like Poseidon, Aquaman or King Triton from The Little Mermaid. But Lojka told the Post that Lithuanian King Mindaugas inspired the figure and he deliberately began with the crown so it would stand out against the surrounding cityscape.
Lojka, a former art teacher who moved to the U.S. in 2021, has a background in public art, including sand sculptures and street installations tied to Eastern European history. He has previously spoken about using his work to preserve cultural memory, an interesting concept for a piece that was never meant to last.
And, unfortunately, it didn’t. With temperatures climbing and rain in the forecast, the Snow King’s reign was always going to be brief. What remains now is mostly documentation: photos, videos and various New Yorkers’ satisfaction in admiring something strange and temporary.