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Culture and sponsorships

Dancers performing at the Telenor Culture Prize ceremony

Telenor’s social, sponsorship and cultural engagements are important contributions to empowering societies where we operate. They are inclusive of diverse voices and perspectives and are intended to strengthen the ways in which people communicate with each other, using many different forms of expression.

Sponsorships

Telenor contributes to the positive development of research and innovation, sports and culture as well as humanitarian and socially oriented objectives through sponsorships, donations and other contributions.

Information about sponsorship projects in our nine business units can be found on their respective websites.

About the Telenor Art Collection

One of the main elements of Telenor’s cultural programme is the Telenor Art Collection. When establishing Telenor’s headquarters at Fornebu in the early 2000s, Telenor Group’s goal was to build a collection of contemporary art consisting of building-integrated art as well as autonomous works. The collection is concentrated on bodies of work by selected artists from the international and Scandinavian art scenes.

Our vision is to inspire people with museum-quality art in the workplace, including fixed and moveable installations in halls, lobbies, stairways, restaurants, meeting rooms and work zones, creating a diverse aesthetic environment that employees, customers and the public can enjoy. Several works by a single artist are presented together to show the breadth and depth of the artist’s output. The art collection consists of more than 600 works by internationally known contemporary artists. In the main square, the building-integrated art is one of the first things a visitor will notice in addition to the inspired architecture. Walking around the space you will see three large installations.

The first, by French artist Daniel Buren, is an installation consisting of 92 pillars constituting a flexible structure of stripes, colours and lines in a process of constant change produced by our own movements. The pillars are 2.6 metres tall, taller than a person, but not overwhelming. At the square, the pillars provide a vital grounding point.

American artist Jenny Holzer’s work is the 215 metre long text ribbon running along the façade. Holzer’s work reflects both a political and feminist agenda, a focus on interpersonal relations and a moral perspective. With her fleeting forms – texts that sweep past – she symbolises aspects of life itself. Holzer represents a melancholic and committed voice in contemporary art. The work consists of 430 statements, or “truisms” as the artist describes the expression.

Norwegian artist Jon Arne Mogstad’s work is seen on the building in the middle of the square. The work is in two parts and was created using diametrically different techniques. “Transition” on the outdoor wall is based on digital manipulation with the images transferred onto glass by means of silk printing. The wall is constructed from 143 plates of glass. It is a part of the character of the outdoor environment at Fornebu.

In Building J there is a gallery where selected artists are presented with several works. At level 6 you will find the American photographer William Eggleston (born 1939). Eggleston is widely considered one of modern photography’s most influential artists. On each level, an artist is presented with several works.

In 2020, Telenor sold its Fornebu headquarters to Norwegian Property ASA, and is now one of several long-term tenants at Fornebu.

The Telenor Culture Programme

Telenor creates its own cultural concepts and stages its own productions, bringing together musicians, artists, and performers who often represent different genres and contribute to cross-cultural understanding. Communication through dance and music has, as we know, no language barriers.

The Telenor Culture Prize – “Boundless communication”

Since 1995, the Telenor Culture Prize has been awarded to outstanding performances in music, film, literature, visual arts, performing arts, and a range of cultural pursuits. The award amounts to 500 000 NOK.