Ebru Çınar Erdoğan

Unwritten Rules:

Conformity, Identity, and Freedom

Unwritten Rules is an exhibition by artist Ebru Çınar Erdoğan, which reflects on the invisible yet powerful restrictions imposed on women through societal expectations. At the heart of this exploration lies the concept of Elalem, literally “what people will say”, an unwritten authority that dictates behaviour and silently enforces conformity.

Growing up in Turkey, Erdoğan experienced how everyday life for young girls was framed by shame and prohibition. Ordinary acts such as going out at night, smoking, drinking, or having male friends were deemed inappropriate for women, while accepted without question for men. Instead, women were expected to remain indoors, seated beside their mothers, under the constant, unspoken surveillance of Elalem. These formative experiences became the foundation of her artistic reflections on gender, identity, and freedom.

Over time, and particularly after moving abroad, Erdoğan recognised that these unwritten rules were not confined to her cultural background. Conversations with women from different countries, including Malta, revealed that similar pressures persist worldwide, cutting across religious or cultural lines. This recognition shifted her understanding: such rules are not about faith or tradition, but about controlling women’s autonomy.

As both an artist and a mother, Erdoğan questions how these inherited patterns continue to pass silently from one generation to the next. Through the traditional medium of embroidery, she transforms a symbol of patience and repetition into an act of resistance. Each stitch recalls the restrictions women are taught to accept, yet in reworking the thread, she reclaims the narrative, restitching possibilities of love, self-confidence, and liberation.

Unwritten Rules ultimately asks whether future generations can be freed from these inherited expectations and instead grow in environments shaped by freedom, expression, and choice.