Alex Kalil
b. 1991 · lives and works in Boston, MA
Using hand-me-down fabrics sourced from friends and loved ones, the most basic sewing kit, and dental floss for thread, I hand-make quilts that move between pure abstraction and painterly representation — at once paintings, messages, political reactions, shamanic assemblages, and blankets to be wrapped up in and lived in.
Photographs: Lauren Galluzzi · Gary Samson · TylerAnn Mack
Portfolios
Selected Portfolio, 2014–2026 (PDF)
“What a Quilt Is Allowed to Do: Decoration, Use, and the Domestic Image in Alex Kalil’s Quilts” by Kehayr Brown-Ransaw (PDF)
Solo Exhibitions
Illuminations: Tapestry of Sorrow & of Joy ~ First Church Boston, Boston, MA
The Whitney Biennial ~ Vernon Street Studios, Somerville, MA
Selected Group Exhibitions
Painting the Island (with Kathryn Blommel) ~ Slough Farm, Edgartown, MA
Unconventional Quiltmaking (with Larry Clifford) ~ Munroe Gallery, Concord Free Public Library, Concord, MA
Solsticefest Teahouse ~ The Big Red House, Arlington, MA
The Threads That Tie Us (curated by Regina Parkinson) ~ Arts Collaborative Medford, Medford, MA
Carrying the Light Forward (curated by Amira Sheikh) ~ Minara, Cambridge, MA
PITH (curated by Juliet Paramor & Steffanie Paul) ~ The Cube, Somerville, MA
Yûská: Uncoil (curated by Erin Genia) ~ Boston Center for the Arts, Boston, MA
Quilted Tapestries ~ Spirit House, Medford, MA
No Call / No Show (curated by Andy Li) ~ Boston Distillery Gallery, Dorchester, MA
Hard Times Emporium (curated by Mike Curtis) ~ Reuniun, Somerville, MA
Art in Print: Series 19 (curated by Anna Doctor / Isenberg Projects) ~ Zone 3, Allston, MA
Throwing a dart at the wall and drawing the target around it (curated by Michael Rose) ~ 28 Varick Avenue, New York, NY
RISDcraft (curated by the artist) ~ Rhode Island School of Design, Providence, RI
*FLASH* (curated by the artist) ~ Vernon Street Studios, Somerville, MA
Mixed Messages (curated by the artist) ~ Vernon Street Studios, Somerville, MA
sure as a fish in the sky; bird in the sea (curated by Kehayr Ransaw-Brown) ~ Fresh Eye Gallery, Minneapolis, MN
Collage Room (curated by the artist) ~ NBPT Brewing Co., Newburyport, MA
ABSTRACTION: A Juried Exhibit ~ Cotuit Center for the Arts, Cotuit, MA
Sanctuary (curated by Maria Molteni) ~ Gallery 263, Cambridge, MA
Altarations: A Selection of Shrines (curated by Emma Leavitt and Sophia Giordano) ~ Dorchester Art Project, Dorchester, MA
Cosmic Salad (curated by Maryann Thompson) ~ Russel Street, Cambridge, MA
Boston Hassle: The Black Market ~ Elks Lodge, Central Square, Cambridge, MA
Installation (with William Cassidy and Solomon Rosenthal) ~ Out of the Blue, Too, Cambridge, MA
Trash Bash (winner) ~ Aeronaut Brewing Co., Somerville, MA
The Demolition Show (curated by Maryann Thompson) ~ The New House, Cambridge, MA
Curated Projects
Paintings and Drawings from the ‘Primordial Soup’ series ~ First Church Boston, Boston, MA
Fragility Promise and Potential ~ First Church Boston, Boston, MA
Em’s Gems (mixtape) ~ Arlington, MA
*FLASH* ~ Vernon Street Studios, Somerville, MA
Mixed Messages ~ Vernon Street Studios, Somerville, MA
RISDcraft ~ Rhode Island School of Design, Providence, RI
Collage Room ~ NBPT Brewing Co., Newburyport, MA
Lights Film Fest (with Lily Jen) ~ Rhode Island School of Design, Providence, RI
Residencies
Slough Farm ~ Edgartown, Martha’s Vineyard, MA (Portfolio)
Chappaquiddick Island Artist’s Retreat ~ Chappaquiddick, MA
Haystack Mountain School of Crafts ~ Deer Isle, ME
Arrowmont Pentaculum, Fibers Cohort ~ Gatlinburg, TN
San Francisco Zen Center ~ Carmel Valley / San Francisco, CA
Collections & Grants
Massachusetts Cultural Council, Individual Artist Grant
Slough Farm Foundation, Edgartown, MA
Private collections in Massachusetts, New York, and Minneapolis
Education
BFA, Film / Animation / Video ~ Rhode Island School of Design, Providence, RI
Seth MacFarlane Scholar · David Rosenberg Memorial Scholarship for Visionary Artists
Bibliography
Music
★
Space Chodes n’ Friends Space Chodes 2026
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Em’s Gems mixtape 2026
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Welcome to the Monkey House Alex, Owen, Sean, & Doc 2024
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Songs Cora Williams 2023
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Flowur Alex Kalil 2022
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Sprjng Alex Kalil 2022
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House of Uglies (2012–2021) Alex Kalil 2022
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Thank God for Mental Illness 2 (The Brian Jonestown Massacre) Alex Kalil 2022
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Captain’s Log Alex Kalil 2022
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Mischief Alex Kalil 2021
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Tales from the Black Lagoon Alex Kalil 2020
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Echo and his Brother Alex Kalil 2017
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2100HEARTS Alex Kalil 2016
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punk music Alex Kalil 2015
Mailing List
New work is offered to the mailing list first — join to see each collection before it’s released.
Enquiries
For available work and prices, or to arrange a studio visit, please get in touch.