Meet the Artist
Ezgi Iraz
Ezgi Iraz is the founder of Studio Kōlea, a visual artist, storyteller, Sufi mother, and creative director. Her work embodies love, bridge-building, and cultural remembrance.
Based in Oʻahu, Hawaiʻi, her practice explores rest as a birthright for women, within systems built on women’s selfless labor. She also examines belonging as a bridge between cultures and the quiet power of visual storytelling through painting, photography, and community-centered projects.
Her art interweaves her Turkish heritage, vibrant Ottoman Islamic motifs, rugs, and ceramics with her daily life in Hawaiʻi and her appreciation for the local muʻumuʻu community.
An award-winning creative art director, Ezgi spent years shaping visual narratives across Europe. She studied in Milan, worked in Denmark, and served as Creative Art Director at LEGO’s global headquarters in Billund before relocating to Hawaiʻi.
At LEGO, she advanced representation by creating the company’s first campaign centering children of color as protagonists, heroes, thinkers, and joyful centers of the story.
Through her art and advocacy, Ezgi shifts narratives. She honors women's complex burdens by painting quiet moments of rest to inspire collective healing.
The story behind the work
Made with intention
Ezgi Iraz’s acrylic painting series centers women and the transformative act of rest. Drawing from her Islamic heritage, her experiences in Hawai’i’s mu’umu’u community, and the global movement advocating rest for women, Ezgi’s work reflects her daily life in Hawai’i.
This collection of paintings represents Ezgi’s signature practice as a Turkish woman artist-painter living and working in Hawai'i.
Rest as Resistance
In a world where women are often expected to be obedient and self-sacrificing, Ezgi’s work honors rest as resistance. Informed by the practices in Tracee Stanley’s Radiant Rest and aligning with Tricia Hersey’s global Rest as Resistance movement, her paintings celebrate stillness—especially for women whose cultures have historically overemphasized women’s domestic labor.
Challenging the Status Quo
Ezgi paints to inspire women to embrace rest. Raised in a family where women were expected to serve men, she discovered through her travels that similar expectations burden women worldwide. Regardless of system, language, or background, this mindset, shaped by patriarchy and capitalism, profoundly influenced Ezgi’s upbringing.
Ezgi’s paintings serve as reminders, offerings, and prayers. They challenge modern hustle culture and affirm that women deserve rest. Rest is a birthright and, today, an act of defiance.
Her work may appear gentle or even naive, but each brushstroke manifests peace for women. Ezgi hopes that viewers who truly engage with her paintings will reconsider ingrained societal perceptions. Here, women are depicted as subjects of admiration for their intellect and ease: reading, resting, safe, and choosing not to perform. Through this visual narrative, Ezgi directly challenges the notion of women as servants.
ComMU'Unity
Why the Muʻumuʻu?
The muʻumuʻu was introduced to Hawaiʻi by missionaries in the 1800s, and its history is heavy and complicated. Ezgi painted her first woman in a muʻumuʻu back in 2021, after Marion—the owner of the Mu'umu'u Library—entered and won an art giveaway Ezgi was hosting. With Marion's enthusiastic permission, that portrait sparked a deeper journey.
Ezgi does not claim ownership of the culture or a place within it; rather, she observes it as a guest artist who deeply admires the comfort, resilience, and community she sees surrounding it today. For her, this living history is an ongoing education. She believes complex narratives require real care, and that art offers a vital space to sit with them and reflect.
Since then, she has been grateful to learn from and support the local muʻumuʻu community, contributing where she can through her services, art, and financial resources as a guest here on the islands.
Ezgi hopes you feel the aşk (the deep divine love) she has poured into her heART when you view these pieces.
Current & Upcoming
- First Friday Artist Popup — Solo Feature & Reception | Downtown Art Center (Downtown Art Gallery + Shop), Sept 4, 2026 | 5:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Where to Shop My Art
Mori Hawaiʻi — Inside the Capitol Modern Museum | Honolulu, HI
Downtown Art Center — Gallery + Shop | Honolulu, HI
Selected Features & Press
- Hana Hou! Magazine — Commissioned Photography | Hawai’i, 2024
- Honolulu Museum of Art — Fashioning Aloha Public Archives | Hawai’i, 2024
- L’OFFICIEL Türkiye — Featured Interview | 2017
- Vejle News — Featured Press | Denmark, 2016
Speaking Engagements
- Anadolu University Spring Festival — Guest Speaker | 2019
- PechaKucha — Guest Speaker | 2016
- Skateboarding & Kunst (Art) Workshop — Speaker & Facilitator | Denmark, 2016
Awards & Honors
- Nuremberg Toy of the Year Award — LEGO BOOST | Associated with The LEGO Group, Feb 2017
- Cannes Young Lions — Film Winner (Türkiye) | Associated with Grey Group, Jan 2013
- Kristal Elma (2nd Place) — Banking Category | Issued by KrediNET HSBC, Associated with Grey Group, Jun 2012
- Leo Burnett 7+ Recognition — Animation for Nuttymax Chocolate Brand | Issued by Leo Burnett Worldwide, Jan 2011
- 9th Genç Beyin Fırtınası — Young Brainstorming Competition Winner | Associated with Anadolu University, Jan 2009
- YKM Shopping Bag Design Award — First Place | Issued by YKM, Associated with Anadolu University, Jan 2008
- Nookart Totebag Design Competition — Winner | Issued by Nookart England, Associated with Anadolu University, Jan 2007
Workshops & Events Facilitated
- Skateboarding & Kunst — Art Workshop Facilitator | Denmark, 2016
- Live Painting Events — Co-facilitated with Tamara Brink & Eric Maurus | Hale‘iwa, Hawai'i
- Painting Field Trips & Workshops — Co-facilitated with Eric Maurus & Janet Meinke-Lau | Hawai'i
- Exhibitions & Events Hosted:
- The Wider Self Event
- Jonas Claesson Refraction
- Wayne Levin – The Edge
- Faisal Warsani – Sunburnt
- Mayon – Fifty Shades of Clay
- Susanna L. Cromwell – Natural Comforts
- Arlie Pemberton – Forever Lei: A Study in Glass
- Eric Maurus – GRAPHITE
Workshops Attended
- The Thorn Bears Flowers — Poetry Workshop | Part of Hawai‘i Triennial – Aloha Nō, Hosted by Hawai‘i Contemporary & Shangri La Museum, Led by Navid Najafi & Brandy Nālani McDougall | Honolulu, Hawaiʻi
- Landscape Design — Led by Prof. Guido Ludes | Eskişehir, Türkiye
- Stop Motion Animation — Led by Berat Ilk | Eskişehir, Türkiye
- Poster Design — Led by Sirinivassarao Pattur | Eskişehir, Türkiye
- Archaeology of Letter — Led by Dr. Kai Rentula | Eskişehir, Türkiye
- Yahsibey Design Workshops — Supervised by Prof. T. Fikret Uçar | Yahşibey, Türkiye
- GRAFIST 13 — International Graphic Design Workshop with Phil Baines | İstanbul, Türkiye
- Japanese Calligraphy Workshop — Assistant to Prof. Izuru Seki | Eskişehir, Türkiye
Certifications & Professional Development
- Yoga Instructor Certification (Level II) — Project Koa Yoga | Jan 2023 Focused on foundational teaching expertise, alignment, mindfulness, and breathing techniques.
- Meditation Guide — International Natural Healers Association | Jul 2020 Certified to help individuals achieve mindfulness and emotional well-being.
- Salesforce Essential Training — LinkedIn Learning | Apr 2025 Enhanced knowledge of CRM and customer engagement strategies.
- SEO Foundations — LinkedIn Learning | Mar 2025 Acquired essential search engine optimization strategies to improve website visibility.
- Learning HubSpot — LinkedIn Learning | Mar 2025 Gained expertise in inbound marketing, automation, and business growth tools.