Paintings
Choosing Me provides viewers with a sanctuary of stillness. Inspired by the artist's mother-in-law—a local hula practitioner, mother of three, and grandmother of two-Ezgi Iraz depicts a rare moment of repose. Through observing her mother-in-law's unwavering commitment to family and community, Iraz emphasizes how rare and important those quiet afternoons are when her mother-in-law rests in her mu'umu'u with the artist's cats during her visits. An Islamic Ottoman-style coffee table and traditional rug (halı), together with lush tropical plants, frame an oval archway that opens to pink clouds. This composition explores themes of freedom, self-love, and spirituality. The arch, referencing Islamic art, serves as a spiritual gateway and a threshold between the earthly and the spiritual. The work draws on Islamic art, daily life in the islands, and Ezgi Iraz's diasporic narrative, navigating the complexities of belonging, longing, and cultural memory through her personal lens as a guest artist actively questioning her place within the diaspora. The painting frames rest as a radical act, encouraging women to reclaim stillness as a source of strength against capitalist hustle culture.
Pink Dreams, a self-portrait, depicts Ezgi Iraz resting in a pink mu'umu'u adorned with water lilies, which represent enlightenment, purity, and spiritual rebirth. A book rests in her lap, while a calm dog, symbolizing an ideal companion, sits beside her. An Islamic Ottoman-style coffee table and traditional coffee set, together with a banana plant, frame an oval archway that opens to a blue ocean where a small boat drifts. This composition conveys freedom, possibility, and the artist's longing for her family abroad. The arch, inspired by Islamic art, serves as a spiritual gateway and a threshold between the earthly and the spiritual.
Completed near Ezgi Iraz's 40th birthday, Pink Dreams is the first large canvas in the
"Resting in Mu'umu'u" series and marks a period of personal growth. The work draws on Islamic art, daily life in the islands, and Ezgi Iraz's diasporic narrative, navigating the complexities of belonging, longing, and cultural memory through her personal lens as a guest artist actively questioning her place within the diaspora. The painting frames rest as a radical act, encouraging women to reclaim stillness as a source of strength against capitalist hustle culture.
Afternoon Chai provides viewers with a sanctuary of pure stillness and soft light.
Ezgi Iraz depicts a rare moment of personal ritual as a woman sits peacefully, wrapped in quiet reflection, gently petting her companion cat. Through observing the everyday rhythms of rest and connection, Iraz emphasizes how rare and important those quiet afternoons are. An Ottoman-style coffee table with a traditional Turkish chai (çay) set sits in front of her, while a banana plant and an archway opening to a deep blue expanse frame the background. This composition explores themes of rest, ritual, and self-preservation. The narrative reminds us to honor the body's need for stillness in a world that demands constant productivity, celebrating the sacred act of pausing and finding peace in everyday life.
The work draws on Islamic art, local life, and Ezgi Iraz's diasporic narrative, navigating the complexities of belonging, longing, and cultural memory through her personal lens as a guest artist who questions her place within the diaspora by fusing Ottoman Turkish influences with the universal language of rest. The painting frames rest as a radical act, encouraging women to reclaim stillness as a source of strength against capitalist hustle culture.
Ezgi Iraz's painting grew from her deep love for grandmothers—called tūtū in Hawaiian, anneanne in Turkish—and for the older mothers who hold families together. The artist sought to honor the quiet, sacred bond between a grandmother and her grandchild, between a mother and her youngest daughter. In this work, Iraz depicts a young woman resting her head on her grandmother’s lap, finding comfort and safety. The painting is a portrait of intergenerational love and belonging.
Ezgi Iraz misses her mother every day in the diaspora. Her mother gave birth to her at 35, and now, at 76, she is living with dementia. Ezgi’s two older sisters care for their mother. This painting emerged from one of those days when the longing for her mother felt especially heavy, and Iraz found herself in tears, missing her presence.
Nearby, Iraz placed a bag with traditional quilt patterns, and on the Ottoman Turkish coffee table, a vase from the Shangri La Museum’s collection. These details are her way of weaving together the beauty of her Turkish heritage with the vibrant culture of Hawaiʻi.
For Iraz, this piece is a quiet celebration of slowing down safely, together, and listening to what our bodies need, even when the world tells us to keep moving. She drew inspiration from Islamic art, the muʻumuʻu community in Hawaiʻi, and the rhythms of her own daily life. Iraz hopes that this painting invites women to rest and to remember that rest is a birthright.
In this painting, a woman claims her right to rest—draped in an orange mu'umu'u that flows to the floor, she naps peacefully with a fan adorned with a traditional quilt design. A pillow beside her declares “radical rest,” a bold reminder that rest is not laziness but resistance, reclamation, and self-care.
For Iraz, this piece quietly celebrates slowing down and listening to what our bodies need; even when the world tells us to keep moving, rest becomes radical. She drew inspiration from Islamic art, the muʻumuʻu community in Hawaiʻi, and the rhythms of her own daily life. Iraz hopes that this painting invites women to rest and to remember that rest is a birthright.
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