About — alfhild kulper

Bio

Swedish textile artist Alfhild Külper aims to create physical representations of the soft spots in our minds.
A graduate of the prestigious Central Saint Martins, University of the Arts London, she spent ten years at the avant garde fashion house Viktor & Rolf, as head of design. Before starting her studio in 2021. Using a mix of traditional tufting techniques with felting and 3D embroidery, Külper crafts tapestries, installations, and objects from leftover wool from the textile industries of India, Nepal and the Netherlands that serve as abstractions of the world through a soft lens.

The artist has shown with Rademakers Gallery (Amsterdam, the Netherlands ), Rijksmuseum Muiderslot (Amsterdam, the Netherlands ), Objects With Narratives ( Brussels, Belgium) , Superhouse Gallery ( New York, US) The Cristel Ballroom Gallery (Amsterdam, the Netherlands), Lise Braun Galerie (St. Tropez, France), Beautiful Distress House ( Amsterdam ) and Transnatural Gallery (Amsterdam, the Netherlands). And shown at international platforms like Design Miami/ Basel Miami, PAD London, BRAFA, Zonamaco and Enter Copenhagen. Her work has been published in Financial Times, The Sunday Times, PIN-UP, Surface, Wired, Architectural Digest, Volkskrant and others. Külper lives and works in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.

Artist Statement

My work centers around the concept of softness for survival. Physical, psychological and emotional. Exploring its role in hope, healing and spirituality.

I am interested in how soft environments change our thinking and connection. How the quality of the wool transfers. How it bends instead of breaks, how fragile threads can make the strongest rope and how it reflects your body heat back like a living hug. Textile, with its forgiving nature, mirrors the human experience—where mistakes and scars are woven in, not as flaws but as a testament to survival and growth.

The slow, meditative process creates a counterpart to our fast paced and digital lives. My technique blends traditional textile craft with self-developed innovations, telling stories that bridge past and future, like memories that shape who we are. My work encourages a shift toward softness, curiosity, and love—values I believe are essential for both personal healing and the collective future.

Inspired by stories of kindness, wonder and soft thinking, personal and shared experiences, I create tapestries and sculptures that humbly invite viewers to engage with their own inner softness, guardian angels and selves. Tactile landscapes of disarming warmth, connecting the viewer to a place of safety, love, and transformation.

Representation

Objects With Narratives , Brussels, BE

Rademakers, Amsterdam, NL

Superhouse, New York , USA