Meshal Al-Obaidallah is an artist, curator and film producer. He experiments with archiving narratives to face ‘collective amnesia’ in Saudi Arabia.
Using cultural artifacts (whether physical or digital), he documents current issues and affairs of Saudi Arabia—and the Arab homeland. His practice centers around the question: Before it is forgotten, how can our ever-changing present-day culture be preserved.
His art and curatorial projects include Shimagh Series (2014–ongoing), acquired by Greenbox Museum, Amsterdam, and auctioned by ArteEast, New York and Al-Mansouria Foundation, Jiddah; ṣiyāḡah (2020), a year-long two-location exhibition within King Abdullah Financial District (KAFD), Riyadh; and FarewellArabia.com (2021–ongoing), commissioned by the Arab British Centre, London.
His recent project, IMG_0220: Physical Preservations of a Once-Lost Internet Video (2023–ongoing), was selected for BIENALSUR, the International Biennial of Contemporary Art of the South. It debuted in the opening exhibition of the Saudi Arabia Museum of Contemporary Art (SAMoCA) @ JAX, Diriyah. It received support from the New Media Caucus (NMC).
Currently, he continues to collaborate with various creatives across the Arab homeland. His upcoming collaboration is with Joseph Vadakkumchery, in the project D.I.Y. (Do It, Yousef). It is set for 2026, and partly funded by Culture Resource (Al-Mawred Al-Thaqafy).