An Espresso with Alice Kettle: Textile Artist conversation on Myths, Success and Monumental Embroidery
Published: March 29, 2025 | Interview by Romina Provenzi | 5 min read
Credit: Jesse Wildes
Alice Kettle is a UK-based textile and fibre artist known for her monumental embroidered works that challenge traditional perceptions of the medium. A Professor of Textile Art at Manchester School of Art and Honorary Academician at the Royal West of England Academy in Bristol, Kettle's practice transforms embroidery from an intimate craft into expansive contemporary art. Working on a large scale over months, Kettle creates figurative and autobiographical works that explore themes of disempowerment, marginalisation, and what it means to be an outsider. Her labour-intensive process combines personal experience with universal stories from myth and folklore, shedding light on contemporary political and social issues through the familiar, non-threatening medium of thread and stitch. In this conversation, Alice discusses what success means beyond gallery exhibitions, how her work addresses human dilemmas through material practice, and her experience transitioning from painting to becoming a leading voice in contemporary textile art. Her work is part of leading public collections, including the Whitworth Art Gallery in Manchester, the Crafts Council in London, and the FAMM Collection in Mougins
What is success for you as an artist?
There are so many milestones in our lives that you can measure success in many ways. It’s a success for me to have the privilege of being able to do my practice. Also, if I have supported people who don’t have the same opportunities as I, it’s a success too. I like it when people are excited and inspired, and to create an opportunity for others, including students, to enter the art world. Then, if people and colleagues respect me, I’m proud as I have done something with integrity and made a real difference. If I have done work that I have surpassed myself, I have grown and succeeded in my account, and if my children are proud of me, it’s what it all comes down to. It’s great to have your work exhibited in galleries and art institutions, but there are so many other places it could go to, as the point is to bring people together without hierarchies.
What is the focus of your work at present?
Mostly, my work is figurative and autobiographical because you can’t help it by not bringing it all in, although it refers to how I deal with human dilemmas and what I witness instead of my actual personal experience. The world is a very threatening and challenging place. But as my work takes weeks and months to complete, it allows my mind to be free and process my thoughts, complete them, and tackle what I am dealing with and how I respond to issues such as disempowerment, marginalisation, and being an outsider. These themes are the core of my work, combining my experience and a universal story, such as a myth or folklore, to explore how life has been examined through these stories and shed light on contemporary political or social situations. Making a work in itself is very much about focusing on its production in the private space of the studio, but when it is completed, an artist seeks a dialogue with the public for their work received by people in many different ways.
Can you tell us about your experience as an artist working in textile art?
First, I completed a degree in painting and then moved to textile art for my postgraduate degree. I was very nervous to tell my tutors about the change. Back then, there was a dismissive aspect about anything related to material practices, which is not the case anymore. In my practice, I approach embroidery on a large scale. My work is very labour-intensive, and I have no one helping me with the production because I don't know what I am doing until I do it. The work acquires monumentality and expansiveness as opposed to the common perception of embroidery as a small and intricate medium. Using this medium in a much more expansive way also allows me to grow in confidence, as I feel I have found a way to operate as a creative human being in the world. Essentially, the medium isn't threatening thanks to its ubiquity and familiarity and offers a non-verbal way to engage and speak to others. I find that aspect very powerful. You recognise something about life and culture through textiles and stitches. These materials, which are part of our everyday life, represent our cultural identity and our histories.
Reflections on This Conversation
Speaking with Alice revealed how textile art continues to challenge hierarchies in the contemporary art world. Her approach to embroidery—working at a monumental scale over months—transforms an intimate, domestic medium into powerful social commentary that addresses themes of marginalisation and what it means to be an outsider. Three key insights:
Success extends beyond gallery exhibitions to mentorship, creating opportunities for others, and maintaining integrity in one's practice
Material familiarity makes challenging themes accessible. Textiles and stitches connect to our cultural identity and histories in ways that invite dialogue
Labour-intensive practices offer space for processing complex emotions, allowing the mind to be free while the hands work through difficult subjects.
Learn more about Alice Kettle's work at www.alicekettle.co.uk
Ground, 2018. 300 x 800cm, threads on canvas by Alice Kettle. Photo credit: Michael Pollard
Grey White, 2023. 62 x 50 cm, threads on canvas by Alice Kettle. Courtesy of Candida Stevens Gallery
If you enjoyed this conversation, you might also like my interviews with other artists based outside London:
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