Matias Faldbakken Unveils Memorial for 2011 Oslo and Utøya Attacks

Norwegian artist Matias Faldbakken has created a memorial for the victims of the July 22, 2011 attacks in Oslo and on Utøya island, where right-wing extremist Anders Breivik killed 77 people. Titled "En Oprettholdelse" (A Maintenance), the work was selected via an international competition and inaugurated on the 15th anniversary of the attacks. The memorial consists of an 11-meter-high, 15-meter-long steel frame enclosing a black-and-white mosaic depicting waterfowl native to the Tyrifjord around Utøya. Faldbakken, known for his sardonic and transgressive art and novels, drew inspiration from the protective steel frame that once housed a Picasso mosaic removed during the government district's redevelopment. He describes the work as an "antifascist gesture" and a reminder of the consequences of right-wing terror. The jury praised it as a call to preserve democracy. Critics, including the newspaper Morgenbladet, argued the memorial prioritizes monumentality over remembrance, and some youth organization members preferred a different design. Faldbakken emphasized that survivors and victims' families were closely involved in planning. The memorial stands on a public plaza, intended as a space for both daily life and reflection. The project contrasts with a previous, abandoned memorial for Utøya by Swedish artist Jonas Dahlberg, which faced local opposition.