Alex Margo Arden

Arden was born in Croydon, South London.^[4]

In 2013, Arden completed a Foundation course at Central Saint Martins.^[5] In 2016, she graduated from Goldsmiths, University of London, where she received the Hamad Butt Memorial Prize.^[6]

Later, from 2022 to 2025, Arden studied at the Royal Academy Schools.^[7][8]

Arden's work often involves a process of reinterpretation, re-staging and reconstruction of historical objects as a means of engaging with their histories.^[6] For her 2023 work Rock Paper Scissors, for example, she reconstructed the collages made on Islington Library books of Kenneth Halliwell and Joe Orton from 1959-1962, as a means of engaging with queer histories. In her 2025 exhibition she also reproduced and re-staged several famous artworks that have been the target of direct action by protestors.^[6][9]

Arden's work is research and conceptually-driven, so she works across a variety of media including sculpture, installation, painting, drawing, analogue photography, collage and performance "depending on what the idea calls for".^[4]

Arden's work Accounts used mannequins of male workers from the National Motor Museum tied together with a tug-of-war rope, and sat in front of a painting titled Daily Departmental Accident Record on the wall.

In 2019 and 2020, Arden collaborated with Caspar Heinemann on the exhibition and corresponding performance play THE FARMYARD IS NOT A VIOLENT PLACE AND I LOOK EXACTLY LIKE JUDY GARLAND at Cell Project Space.^[10] This was followed by Arden and Heinemann's second play Among My Souvenirs which was performed in 2021 at Barnens Scen in the Folkets park, Malmö, Sweden.^{[11][better source needed]}

Arden had her first solo exhibition with Ginny on Frederick titled All Clear in 2022.^[12]

In 2023, whilst a student at the Royal Academy Schools, Arden's had her first exhibition at the Royal Academy of Arts, Rock Paper Scissors, which featured collages made from library books by Kenneth Halliwell and Joe Orton.^[5]

In 2025, Arden had a solo exhibition at London's Auto Italia South East titled Safety Curtain, which recreated artwork targeted by climate protestors behind a protective glaze.^[13][14] In the same year, she was nominated for the Times Breakthrough Award at the 2025 Sky Arts Awards.^[15]

In October 2025, Arden returned to Ginny on Frederick with her presentation By All Accounts for Frieze London.^{[citation needed]} Her work Accounts (2025) was acquired by the Arts Council Collection.^[16][17] Sofia Hallström of Wallpaper named Arden a standout artist of Frieze 2025.^[18] Arden won the fair's inaugural Nicoletta Fiorucci Foundation Prize.^[19] This involved the exhibition Nothing Personal at the Nicoletta Fiorucci Foundation, London, curated by Vittoria de Franchis, from 2026-27.^[20] The exhibition will involve the re-staging of the personal property of Amy Winehouse. Arden has engaged with Winehouse previously in her work, for example in her works Shoes Said to Have Belonged to Amy Winehouse (2024) and Perfume said to have belonged to Amy Winehouse (2024) shown at the group exhibition On Feeling at The Approach.^[21]

Arden's work is held in the public collections of:

• Royal Academy of Arts^[43]
• Arts Council Collection^[43]

Arden has been nominated and achieved the following awards:

• 2025 – Nominated – The Times Breakthrough Award, Sky Arts Awards^[15][8]
• 2025 – Nicoletta Fiorucci Foundation Prize at Frieze London^[8]
• 2025 – Annabel Paradise Award for Sculpture, Royal Academy Schools
• 2025 – André Dunoyer de Segonzac Hon RA Travel Scholarship, Royal Academy Schools
• 2024 – Landseer Prize, Royal Academy Schools
• 2015 – Hamad Butt Memorial Prize, Goldsmiths