Madara Freidenfelde
Helen Scott Lidgett Award
2026/27
Madara Freidenfelde (b. Latvia) is a contemporary artist whose practice explores the tactile intersections of painting, textile, and materiality. Guided by an intuitive approach to surface and form, her work investigates how physical mediums can carry identity, structure, and spatial memory. Through material experimentation and a dialogue between traditional canvas work and knitted elements, her paintings unfold as layered environments that examine the boundary between objecthood and storytelling.
Freidenfelde holds an MFA (2026) in Painting from the Art Academy of Latvia, and her artistic development has been shaped by Erasmus+ exchanges at the University of Porto and the Academy of Fine Arts in Prague. Her work has been presented in group exhibitions across the Baltic countries, Portugal, and the Czech Republic, alongside solo shows including SECONDS AND HANDS at Kalnciema Gallery (2026) and F/W 24/25 at Gallery LOOK! (2025).
Helen Scott Lidgett Award
The Helen Scott Lidgett Award is a partnership between Acme, Central Saint Martins (University of the Arts London), Art Academy of Latvia and the family of Helen Scott Lidgett. Aiming to provide a bridge between art school and professional practice, the award includes a generous bursary, rent-free studio space and a mentoring programme. Recipients of Acme’s Early Career Awards Programme work from shared studios in order to encourage an environment of peer support and critical dialogue.
