Obaid Alsafi is a Riyadh-based artist working across new media installations, video, and data-generated projects. With a background in computer science, he approaches his practice through a systematic and research-based methodology. His work investigates the unseen dimensions of life, tracing the impact of data on the environment, physical reality and collective memory, while also drawing on photography, poetry, and Arabic literature.

AlSafi’s artworks often emerge from invisible processes, shaped by his research in artificial intelligence and software. By visualizing these structures, he highlights how data permeates contemporary life, offering new perceptions of its role in shaping both the digital and physical worlds.

Saudi artist Obaid Alsafi unveiled his Ithra Art Prize-winning artwork “Palms in Eternal Embrace" at the AlUla Arts Festival. The sixth edition of the prize was the first in collaboration with Arts AlUla. Obaid’s piece draws inspiration from Saudi Arabia’s rich history and landscapes, giving reference to the 5,000-year-old sandstone pillars found in the artist’s birthplace, the historical town of Qaryat Al Faw, and the ancient Rajajil Columns found in Al Jawf region, north of Saudi. Not only an architectural marvel, the Rajajil Columns were used to observe the stars and seasonal changes and has recently provided evidence of the effects of climate change in the Arabian Peninsula.