Azernews.Az

To mark Norwegian Statoil's 20^th anniversary in Azerbaijan, the exhibition Face to Face, with contemporary works of art from the company's art collection, will be shown in the capital Baku at the Museum of Modern Art from October 12 until November 11.

Face to Face is an exhibition of portraits featuring 63 works which includes photographs, sculptures and paintings by 16 artists from ten countries.

"Statoil, as an energy company, believes that art is also energy. This energy is different to that of oil and gas - our prime business. The energy of art inspires people. Being a universal means of communication, art helps people understand each other through visual imagery and unites them irrespective of their nationality, culture or background", says Lars Troen Srensen, President of Statoil in Azerbaijan.

"Encountering and engaging with art is possible outside cultural establishments. Our commitment to art enables us to develop an inspiring and stimulating work environment; build Statoil brand and culture and make a contribution to the cultural development in the communities where we operate."

The Statoil art collection counts over 1 000 works of contemporary art from the last 25 years. Educational, communication and exhibition activities are fundamental drivers of the company's program, as well as the Statoil art award, worth $83 000, which has been awarded to young Norwegian artists biennially since 2007.

Statoil entered Azerbaijan in 1992. It is the second largest foreign investor in the country. Statoil has invested more than $5 billion and is a partner with 8,56% share in the oil producing Azeri-Chiraq-Guneshli (ACG ) field, the Shah Deniz gas field with 25,5% share, and the corresponding pipelines Baku-Tblisi-Cheyhan (BTC) and South Caucasus Pipeline (SCP). The company's current production from Azerbaijan is around 100.000 barrels of oil equivalent per day, over 20% of Statoil's international production.