Alfhild Sarah Külper

Alfhild Sarah Külper (b. 1982, Sweden) is a multidisciplinary textile artist and designer whose practice explores the physical, psychological, and emotional dimensions of softness. Born in Sweden and based in Amsterdam, she creates tactile works that exist at the intersection of contemporary art, design, and material research, transforming textile into immersive landscapes that invite reflection, connection, and healing.

A graduate of Central Saint Martins, University of the Arts London, Külper spent ten years as Head of Design at the avant-garde fashion house Viktor & Rolf before founding her independent studio in 2021. Her background in fashion continues to inform her artistic practice through an exceptional sensitivity to construction, craftsmanship, and materiality, while allowing her to push textile beyond its conventional applications.

The concept of softness lies at the heart of Külper's practice. More than a material quality, softness becomes a psychological and emotional condition through which she explores hope, healing, and human connection. Inspired by the moss-covered forests of her native Sweden and by the experience of living abroad, Külper creates what she describes as "physical representations of the soft spots in our minds." Her tapestries, sculptures, and installations become tactile landscapes that invite viewers to reconnect with their own sense of safety, curiosity, spirituality, and love, while reflecting on the transformative power of kindness and vulnerability.

Working with a combination of traditional textile craftsmanship, self-developed techniques, tufting, and three-dimensional embroidery, Külper creates richly textured works using leftover wool sourced from the textile industries of India, Nepal, and the Netherlands. Sustainability is an integral part of her practice, with discarded materials transformed into expressive compositions that celebrate continuity, care, and renewal. For the artist, wool is more than a medium: its warmth, flexibility, and resilience become metaphors for the human experience—bending rather than breaking, carrying memory, and embracing imperfection as an essential part of growth.

Her process is intuitive and material-led, allowing each work to evolve organically through making rather than following predetermined designs. By blending traditional textile techniques with her own innovations, Külper creates works that move between reality and imagination, memory and materiality, offering environments that encourage a slower, more compassionate way of seeing. Through her practice, she advocates for softness not as fragility, but as a source of strength, resilience, and connection in an increasingly accelerated world.

Education

• Central Saint Martins, University of the Arts London, Bachelor of Arts, First Class Honours (2007–2011)
• Tillskärarakademien, Stockholm, School of Tailoring and Textiles (2005–2006)

Collections

• Rijksmuseum Muiderslot, the Netherlands