“Arugula Love” is a 5.85 x 8.30 ink and marker on paper by Turkish artist Çağıl Harmandar

Intimacy and female sexuality are the focus of Turkish artist and animator Çağıl Harmandar’s solo show titled “Touch the Pit” which opens Saturday, March 3, in the Linda Hummel-Shea ArtSpace at Northern Essex Community College. It runs through April 7.

An opening reception will be held Wednesday, March 21, from 2:30 to 5:30 p.m. Harmandar will discuss her animations and her oil, pastel, pen and ink brush drawings beginning at 3 p.m.

The ArtSpace is located in the Harold Bentley Library on the Haverhill campus, 100 Elliott St. It is open during library hours, which are Monday through Thursday, 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. It’s closed Saturdays and Sundays.

“Works in this exhibition reflect my personal disorientation after ending a five-year long phase in my life as a student in the States and returning to my home in İstanbul, Turkey,” she said.

In addition to her sketches, the exhibit will include short animations related to the drawings will be displayed on a 55-inch monitor in the gallery.

Harmandar will be in-residence at NECC March 5 through 9. She has been invited to speak during various art classes and critique students’ artwork.

“Balloon Head” 5.85 x 8.30 inch Pen on Paper sketch.

She received a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the School of the Museum of Fine Arts at Tufts University in 2016. She studied film, animation, and video at the Rhode Island School of Design.

She has earned several awards including Best Film Award from the National Canlandıranlar Animation Competition, İstanbul, Turkey, in 2017.

The ArtSpace exhibit is sponsored by the Art Department and the NECC Foundation.

NECC offers an associate degree in general studies: art with a focus on specific area of the arts, such as fine arts, multimedia, photography or visual communications.

This show is sponsored by NECC’s art department and the NECC Foundation. For additional information on the exhibit contact Patricia Kidney at pkidney@necc.mass.edu or Marc Mannheimer at mmannheimer@necc.mass.edu