Published 20 November 2023 in News
Obaid Al-Safi completes Artist Residency in collaboration with Misk Art Institute and Nabi Digital Arts Center
Nabi Digital Arts Center
26 Jong-ro, Seorin-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul, South Korea
Aug 14 - Oct 27. 2023
A visual arts residency focusing on new digital medias and technology in the heart of Seoul.
Misk Art Institute has partnered with the Art Center Nabi to offer two Saudi artists an exciting ten-week opportunity in Digital and New Media Art in Seoul, South Korea. The Nabi Artist Residency program is the platform that communicates and experiments at the intersection of art and technology with talented artists based on diverse cultural background.
The program provides not only production support costs, but also networks, research, creative activities, an exhibition, and related programs such as artist talks.
Obaid Al-Safi l 'Mirage of us' (Installation View) l 2023 l Dimension Variable l Two-Channel Video, 3D Printed rock
‘’From the depths of the earth, archaeologists discover a mysterious piece with engravings that scientists have not been able to decipher, which they believe symbolizes a supernatural world. They wonder: Was this language a means of communicating with beings who came from other worlds? Or was it a message from the universe itself, indicating complex secrets we need to understand?’’
“This project is based on fragments of original photographs of rocks and artifacts in various regions of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, which form a systematic and conceptual structure for thinking about the depth of the Arab conscience/place within a damaged living fabric.
This approach is a direct means through modern technologies, and through art.” "I activated the rubble and unexpectedly transformed it into a living entity of material significance."
Obaid Al-Safi l 'Mirage of us' (Installation View) l 2023 l Dimension Variable l Two-Channel Video, 3D Printed rock
During his art residency in Korea, Al-Safi studies the relationship between modern technologies in the field of heritage and archaeology specifically. His artistic research includes creating contemporary antiquities from images photographed by the artist and transforming them into sculptures.
He inquires how the use of new technology in historical analysis and reproduction as a scientific tool brings to the forefront ethical questions of bias contamination within data and automation of its analysis.
For more information about the Nabi Digital Arts Center please navigate to their website here
For more information about the Misk Art Institute please navigate to their website here