Meshal Al-Obaidallah: Preserving Saudi Culture Through Digital Relics

Photos by Arif Alnomay

After stumbling upon a discarded iPhone 6 and an untraceable seven-second video, conceptual Saudi artist Meshal Al-Obaidallah challenges our digital memory and the transience of online artefacts.

Amidst the overflow of digital gadgets in landfills and the abundance of online content, coupled with the challenge of tracking personal archives due to the sheer volume of what we produce, Al-Obaidallah questions our collective ability to remember and archive effectively. His project, ‘IMG_0220: Physical Preservations of a Once-Lost Internet Video’, initially showcased at the International Biennial of Contemporary Art of the South at the Saudi Arabia Museum of Contemporary Art (SAMoCA) in JAX, Diriyah, delves into the preservation of digital relics from the past.

Creating a seven-second loop, Al-Obaidallah highlights the fleeting nature of digital content, raising questions on what he refers to as ‘society’s collective and deliberate amnesia’. Through rows of cassettes, VHS tapes, and postcards, he presents a poignant commentary on the challenge of preserving cultural symbols and methods of communication from the past.

As an independent artist and curator based in Riyadh, Al-Obaidallah's practice centres on preserving our ever-changing present culture. In a rapidly transforming Saudi Arabia, he confronts themes of remembrance and collective amnesia, focusing on what society deliberately chooses to forget. Through his project, Al-Obaidallah invites viewers to reflect on the fragility of digital memory and the significance of preserving our cultural heritage for future generations.