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About the Artist — Ezgi Iraz
Ezgi Iraz is a Turkish American artist and storyteller based on the island of O‘ahu, Hawai‘i.
Her work explores rest, belonging, and cultural memory through the language of color, fabric, and gesture.
After a decade in design and art direction across Europe, Ezgi founded Studio Kōlea — a multidisciplinary creative studio weaving painting, photography, and community storytelling.
Rooted between the mountains of Anatolia and the shores of Hawai‘i, her practice honors migration, ancestry, and the spaces women create for rest and renewal.
Each work is both personal and collective — a meditation on stillness as an act of resilience.
About the Series — Resting in Mu‘umu‘u
Resting in Mu‘umu‘u is an ongoing painting series that celebrates rest as resistance and softness as strength.
Through layers of acrylic and watercolor, Ezgi reimagines the mu‘umu‘u — a traditional Hawaiian garment — as a symbol of comfort, memory, and homecoming.
The series was born during Ezgi’s years living in Haleʻiwa, reflecting stories of women finding sanctuary in their own skin and surroundings.
Each piece carries the spirit of aloha and echoes of ancestral threads — connecting cultures from Altai to Ka‘ala.
