SEW RELAXING

TURKISH-BORN EBRU CINAR ERDOGAN, HAS A BACKGROUND IN SALES AND MARKETING, BUT, TO RELAX AFTER WORK, SHE TOOK UP EMBROIDERY AND DRAWING WHICH SHE HAD ALWAYS HAD AN APTITUDE FOR.

“I started embroidery in 2016. I was living in Istanbul at that time. The fatigue from working and the city life forced me into reflecting back to the handicrafts taught by my mother when I was little. Since then, I have come this far by improving my skills mostly in the sphere of embroidery.

Everything inspires me. It's just what you look at that matters. If I'm just looking at something, without even realising it, I only see what exists superficially, but if I stop and think, and dig deep, I find what gives meaning and emotion to me and what excites me.

I usually choose artists who were in black and white movies and embellish photographs of them. By combining nostalgia with the art of nostalgia, I bring life to pieces in a modern form. The combination of my embroidery and photography makes me feel as if that photograph is being renewed. It is wonderful that the embroidery adds dimension to the picture, and contributes to the overall aesthetic and feeling of t he photograph, and enhances its integrity.

Sometimes I get energy from a photograph and I can start by designing it with my eyes. Colours can also be a starting point. I am interested in colour and I want to base my composition on it. The material can also affect my process too. When I start thinking, pictures pop up in my head after another. I get carried away and the show ends with me. Each of my objects gives birth to another object, and each series gives birth to another series and this interaction has a great place in my works.

Each piece goes through different stages. For example, I choose a picture, then I choose the pattern, then I decide on the thread colours and what kind of embroidery I will do. Sometimes I add beads and acrylic paint. If the collaboration I made is not good for me, i.e., if I don't like it, I remove it and focus on something different. The work that I create mus t first satisfy and impress me.

First, I embroidered on fabric, paper, canvas, wood, and tulle. Next is to combine ceramics and embroidery. But for this, I first have to melt the ceramic and then combine the two. It's not easy at all, but I like the challenge.

I generally work on female characters, but I don't know why, the aesthetics and beauty attract me more. In the future, I want to work with male artists and have people loo k at them from a different perspective.

I have a group of artist friends and whenever we get together, we get crazy ideas. We are constantly trying to experience the untested and to gain clarity in the details of the project. It is a great feeling to be together and support while producing. At the moment, we are trying to lay the foundation of the business rather than the production phase. Watch this space.

DESPITE ITS DIMINUTIVE SIZE, THE MALTESE ARCHIPELAGO IS BURSTING WITH HISTORIC SITES, IDYLLIC SPOTS, CULTURE AND TRADITION. THE MALTESE ISLANDS ARE LIKE NOWHERE ELSE. HERE YOU’LL FIND FOSSIL-STUDDED GEO FORMATIONS, PREHISTORIC TEMPLES, INTRIGUING DIVING OPPORTUNITIES, AND A RICHLY WOVEN HISTORY OF REMARKABLE INTENSITY. HERE’S A HANDY GUIDE ON WHAT TO LOOK OUT FOR DURING YOUR STAY.