Upholding

Upholding
Upholding
En Oprettholdelse (Norwegian)
Artist	Matias Faldbakken
Completion date	July 19, 2026
Medium	Mosaic; Steel;
Subject	2011 Norway attacks
Dimensions	12 m × 15 m (39 ft × 49 ft)
Location	Oslo, Norway; 59°54′55″N 10°44′41″E / 59.9154°N 10.7448°E;

Upholding (Norwegian: En Oprettholdelse) is a outdoor mosaic in Oslo to remember victims of the 2011 Norway attacks. The mosaic was created by artist Matias Faldbakken, and unveiled in July 2026 at the Norwegian Government Quarter in Oslo.

The artwork is 12 metres (39 ft) high, and supported by a steel frame painted blue; echoing the design of the support structure used to relocate The Fishermen ^[sv] by Pablo Picasso—one of Picasso's Regjeringskvartalet murals— following the 2011 bomb blast.

The memorial was unveiled on 19 July 2026, with Haakon, Crown Prince of Norway in attendance. The unveiling was held prior to the fifteen-year anniversary, to bring survivors and victims' families together in the city's renovated government district, near the site of the original bombing.

Design

A three-year competition was held, with Faldbakken's design entitled En Oprettholdelse selected as the winner in early-2025. Following the competition, Faldbakken's miniature model for the design was placed on display at the Kunstnernes Hus in Norway.

The stone mosaic shows reed plants and a wader bird, on Norway's Tyrifjorden lake.

References

↑ "Upholding for National 22 July Memorial". Frankfurt am Main: Städelschule. Retrieved 20 July 2026. Matias Faldbakken … Opening reception 19.07.2026 … Government Quarter, Johan Nygaardsvolds plass, 0180 Oslo … sculpture Upholding is based on re-erecting the large steel rig that was built to hold and relocate Pablo Picasso's artwork The Fishermen from the demolished Y-block to the new A-block
1 2 Bayly, Tom; Lam, Lana (20 July 2026). "Norway opens new memorial for victims of 2011 massacre". BBC News.
1 2 "Matias Faldbakken Selected to Make a National Memorial for 22 July in Oslo, Norway". Paula Cooper Gallery. 8 April 2025. Retrieved 20 July 2026. Overseen by KORO [no] (Public Art Norway), Faldbakken was selected through a three-year multi-round process … In Faldbakken's memorial, the rig will be filled with a monumental mosaic made of stone … island of Utøya – a drawing of a small wader and some reeds and twigs reflected in the waters of the Tyrifjord.
↑ Trebing, Saskia (20 July 2026). "Matias Faldbakkens Terror-Mahnmal: Ein Tatort als Kunstort" [Matias Faldbakken's terrorism memorial: A crime scene as an art location]. Kunst im öffentlichen Raum. Monopol (in German). Retrieved 22 July 2026. Entwurf "En Oprettholdelse" (Eine Aufrechterhaltung) … Ganze elf Meter hoch und 15 Meter lang
↑ "On display: Matias Faldbakken's winning draft of the memorial site after July 22nd". Kunstnernes Hus. 16 April 2025. Retrieved 20 July 2026. winning draft of the … is now on display at Kunstnernes Hus

En Opprettholdelse — Nasjonalt minnested etter 22. juli [Upholding — National Memorial Site for 22 July] (PDF) (Brochure) (in Norwegian). Public Art Norway (KORO). 23 January 2025. pp. 1‒19. Retrieved 23 July 2026.
House, Christian (13 April 2025). ""That serene Scandinavian facade, yet there's terror underneath": artist unveils design for Norwegian national memorial to 22 July attacks". Art. The Guardian. Retrieved 20 July 2026. A 12-metre high mosaic …
"22 July Memorial: Upholding". Exhibitions. 22 July Information Centre (published 24 June 2026). 25 June 2025. Retrieved 22 July 2026.
"Opening of the National Memorial Site for 22 July at the Government Quarter" (Press release) (in Norwegian). Government.no. 21 July 2026. Retrieved 22 July 2026.
"Åpner nasjonalt minnested etter 22. juli i regjeringskvartalet" [Opening of the National Memorial Site for 22 July at the Government Quarter] (Press release) (in Norwegian). Regjeringen.no. 17 July 2026. Retrieved 22 July 2026.

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[steadel-2026-1] "Upholding for National 22 July Memorial". Frankfurt am Main: Städelschule. Retrieved 20 July 2026. Matias Faldbakken … Opening reception 19.07.2026 … Government Quarter, Johan Nygaardsvolds plass, 0180 Oslo … sculpture Upholding is based on re-erecting the large steel rig that was built to hold and relocate Pablo Picasso's artwork The Fishermen from the demolished Y-block to the new A-block

[bbc-bayly-lam-2026-07-20-2] 1 2 Bayly, Tom; Lam, Lana (20 July 2026). "Norway opens new memorial for victims of 2011 massacre". BBC News.

[cooper-gallery-2025-3] 1 2 "Matias Faldbakken Selected to Make a National Memorial for 22 July in Oslo, Norway". Paula Cooper Gallery. 8 April 2025. Retrieved 20 July 2026. Overseen by KORO [no] (Public Art Norway), Faldbakken was selected through a three-year multi-round process … In Faldbakken's memorial, the rig will be filled with a monumental mosaic made of stone … island of Utøya – a drawing of a small wader and some reeds and twigs reflected in the waters of the Tyrifjord.

[trebing-2026-07-22-4] Trebing, Saskia (20 July 2026). "Matias Faldbakkens Terror-Mahnmal: Ein Tatort als Kunstort" [Matias Faldbakken's terrorism memorial: A crime scene as an art location]. Kunst im öffentlichen Raum. Monopol (in German). Retrieved 22 July 2026. Entwurf "En Oprettholdelse" (Eine Aufrechterhaltung) … Ganze elf Meter hoch und 15 Meter lang

[kunst-hus-2025-04-16-5] "On display: Matias Faldbakken's winning draft of the memorial site after July 22nd". Kunstnernes Hus. 16 April 2025. Retrieved 20 July 2026. winning draft of the … is now on display at Kunstnernes Hus

Upholding
En Oprettholdelse (Norwegian)

Artist	Matias Faldbakken
Completion date	July 19, 2026 (2026-07-19)
Medium	Mosaic Steel
Subject	2011 Norway attacks
Dimensions	12 m × 15 m (39 ft × 49 ft)
Location	Oslo, Norway 59°54′55″N 10°44′41″E / 59.9154°N 10.7448°E / 59.9154; 10.7448

Upholding

Design

References

Further reading