Abdalsalam Alhaj is a Sudanese artist and producer whose work explores the intersection of memory, identity, and technology through various mediums including photography, videography, audio, and extended reality (XR).

He is passionate about archives, music, and self-expression, evoking the passage of time, and questioning the attitudes, fears, and unwritten rules that have formed our environment and behaviors.

Abdalsalam is the founder of Rift Digital Lab, a cutting-edge immersive lab that specializes in producing AR/VR experiences, podcasts, audiobooks, and digital storytelling in Sudan and Rwanda.

Residency and Fellowships:
2024, Fellowship - TheMuseumLab2024 - DAAD - Berlin, Germany & Accra, Ghana
2024, Art Residency - ZKM | Center for Art and Media - Karlsruhe, Germany
2022, Decaying Bank: Reproducing Khartoum Visually - The Muse multi studios - Khartoum, Sudan
2022, Creators Hubs Xchange Program - Black Rhino VR - Nairobi, Kenya
2019, New Dimensions AR/VR Lab - Electric South - Cape Town, South Africa
2016, CCP Fellowship at Deutsche Welle (DW) - ifa - Bonn, Germany

Grants and Awards:
2024, CCP Synergy - ifa
2021, Production Fund - Goethe Institut Sudan
2021, EverydayNile Photojournalism Stories - InfoNile
2020, Venice Production Bridge - 77th Venice International Film Festival
2018, Visual Arts Grant - AFAC

Solo Exhibition:
2021, Old Wishes - Khartoum & Omdurman, Sudan

Group Exhibition:
2024, Fragments of Home - The People's Forum - NYC, USA
2022, Al Malaz, Next Level - Goethe-Institut Sudan - Omdurman, Sudan

Film:
2023, Night Shift - VR 360° Film - Rift Digital Lab (Sudan) and Electric South (South Africa)

Curation, Audio and VR Experience Design:
2023, Sudan Creative Minds - VR Experience Design - UNDP Sudan
2022, Aswat - Audio Installation - UNICEF Sudan
2022, International Youth Day - VR Installation - Omdurman Cultural Center
2021, Change Makers - VR Experience Design - Contraband and USAID
2021, IMAGINE Art-Tech Festival - VR Installation - Goethe Institut Sudan & Institut Français Sudan
2020, Rivers of the World - VR Experience Design - British Council Sudan
2020, Acts of Resistance: An Anthology - VR Experience Design - Sudan Moves
2019, Sudan Women Protest Exhibition - SIHA Network - Khartoum, Sudan

Photo © Dia Khalil