Arlo Mountford was born in the United Kingdom in 1978 and arrived in Australia in 1983. He holds a Diploma of Fine Arts (Western Australian College of Art, Design and Multimedia, 1998) and a Bachelor of Fine Art, Sculpture (Victorian College of the Arts, Melbourne, 2002). Mountford has exhibited extensively in solo and group shows in artist-run, commercial and public galleries since 2002. His work examines contemporary art practice and its relationship to art history and incorporates various media including video, installation, sculpture and animation.

Mountford's early solo shows include the exhibitions Arbitrary Interrupt at Bus Gallery Sound Room, Melbourne, and Ramp for S/Elective Viewing at Studio 12 Project Space, Gertrude Contemporary Art Spaces, both 2003. Works by Mountford have been included in a number of significant group shows and survey exhibitions such as The Adelaide Biennial of Australian Art: 21st Century Modern, Art Gallery of South Australia, Adelaide, 2006; Contemporary Australia: Optimism, at the Queensland Art Gallery/Gallery of Modern Art, Brisbane, 2008; NEW010, Australian Centre of Contemporary Art (ACCA), Melbourne, 2010; and Unguided tours: Anne Landa Award for video and new media arts, Art Gallery of NSW, Sydney, Australia, 2011.