Hale Ekinci (b. 1984) is a Turkish-American artist based in Chicago. She received her MFA in Interdisciplinary Arts & Media at Columbia College Chicago and is currently a Professor and Chair of Art & Design at North Central College. Rooted in her lived experience as an immigrant, she creates embroidered paintings, sculptures, installations, and videos, embellished with vibrant colors, patterns, and cultural artifacts. Combining Middle Eastern and Western textile craft and fine art traditions, her work explores identity, folklore, communication, and gendered labor. 

Ekinci was recently the Engaged Artist-in-Residence at the Gayle Karch Cook Center at Indiana University, including a solo exhibition. Previously, she was also an artist-in-residence at Facebook Chicago, ACRE, Jiwar Barcelona, Momentum Berlin, Elsewhere Museum, Chicago Artists Coalition Hatch, and Spudnik Press. Her work has been exhibited at Turkish Textile Biennial, EXPO Chicago, The American College of Greece, Tiger Strikes Asteroid, Goldfinch Gallery, Zolla/Liebarman Gallery, Heaven Gallery, Co-Prosperity, Textile Center, One After 909, Woman Made Gallery, Koehnline Museum of Art, University of Illinois Springfield, and Queens College Art Center. Her videos have been screened internationally, in New York City, Berlin, Warsaw, and Jerusalem. She is the recipient of the Fiber & Figure award by the Surface Design Association and the best in show at the South Bend Museum of Art’s 30th Biennial.

Headshot: Kevin Schmalandt

Image: Hale Ekinci, Pinky Promise, 2022, Screenprint, embroidery floss, glass beads, thread, sequins, Doc McStuffind bracelet, interfacing, yarn crochet on found handkerchief, 26”x17”

(updated 2025)