Born in 1944 in Istanbul, Turkey; Koray Ariş studied sculpture in Istanbul’s National Academy of Fine Arts (Istanbul Devlet Guzel Sanatlar Akademisi), where both of his parents have had also studied. He graduated from Şadi Çalık Atelier in 1968. After graduation, he gained state scholarship and went to Italy to continue his studies. In 1969-71 he became a student of sculptor and professor Emilio Greco at Fine Arts Academy of Rome. Following his studies, he set up his own studio in Rome, in 1971.

A year after finishing his studies, in 1972, he held his first one-person exhibition at Galleria La Nuova Pesa, Rome. Koray Ariş lived and worked in Rome until 1975, when he returned to Turkey and started teaching in the Academy, where he graduated. In 1977, he resigned and founded his own studio in Çatalca, a small historical town at the western edge of Istanbul, where he still continues his works.