The subtractive title of the current exhibition at ShiftSpace isn’t a product of unexpected departures, but rather the lack of arrivals.

Twelve students planned to attend the graduate program in studio art at Wichita State this fall. However, due to travel restrictions, two artists were unable to attend: Hamid Lorestani and Mohammad Seif, both from Iran. 

Their absence is honored in “Twelve Minus Two. (Plus Everything),” an exhibition on view through Friday at the ShiftSpace student gallery inside Harvester Arts at 120 E 1st St N Suite 115. 

In an act of adaptability, Lorestani and Seif shared their work digitally. Lorestani sent a digital mockup of a sculptural work, and Seif sent a video installation, one 3D-modeled image, and a set of five photos.

The feelings of the group are reflected in the exhibition description: 

“Their absence is deeply felt — and their inclusion in this exhibition is a reminder of the invisible barriers that still limit artistic exchange across borders.” 

The other two artists in the planned first-year cohort, Courtney Hancock and Ryan Dawson, also have work in the exhibition. Hancock contributed a drawing and a photo lithography. Dawson presents two ceramic vessels. 

These works join those by more senior students in the Master of Fine Arts program: second-year grads Carlos Palmer, Aaron Maldonado, Maryam F. Parsa, and Jessica Lada; and third-years Sloane Dyer, Madison Mullen, Aly Horn, and Branden Lawless. In “Twelve Minus Two. (Plus Everything)” I can see how each artist has gotten into their own individual groove over the past year or two.  Pushing through limitations and, I assume, frustrations, the cohort of grads has pulled together a beautiful and fascinating show.

Dyer organized the show, which included reaching out to and coordinating with the students who were unable to attend the program. 

“This exhibition is a celebration of connection, resilience, and the power of art to bridge distance, circumstance, and culture,” she wrote in the exhibition text. 

The work of the first-year students complements that of the two previously established cohorts.

“Being able to piece those things together in one gallery, it shows a clear connection,” Dyer said in an interview.

She attributes those connections to a shared preoccupation with late-stage capitalism. In a recent project she assigned her own students, everyone chose to address a current social or political issue. 

“Creating as a form of catharsis, dealing with the horrifying situation in front of us… it’s healing in a way,” she said. 

Seif's video installation, "Suitcase," shows this range of emotion that comes from living through incredibly difficult circumstances. We see a man pack his suitcase- noticeably pausing when placing a photo in. After strapping it closed, there's a lengthy sequence of struggle as he desperately tries to pull the suitcase off the ground. Eventually, he lifts with so much force that he’s knocked backwards. In different scenes, acting like a dream sequence, we see the clothes and suitcase animatedly interacting with the man. After all this, he opens a virtually empty suitcase and gazes for white a while at a photo inside. He then lovingly shuts the suitcase and walks away, leaving it alone in the spotlight. 

The video ends with text on a black screen: “For all beloved that left their homeland in search of a better future” “We miss you.”

Given that studio art degrees are tied to the in-person experience, Hamid Lorestani and Mohammad Seif have no way to carry out the work of the program they’ve been accepted to. Viewing their work in this exhibition, their physical absence feels like an addition to the long list of tragedies we’re hearing about all the time. 

But, as Dyer alluded to and as many artists are trying to remind themselves now: art is integral to the moment we’re living through. Art provides an outlet to speak up about the “Everything” in our lives in hopes it can inspire positive change. To bring awareness of what’s happening, to set it right before our eyes … to cleverly draw attention to it with a simple formula.

The Details

“Twelve Minus Two. (Plus Everything)”
September 12-26, 2025, at WSU ShiftSpace inside Harvester Arts, 120 E. 1st St. in Wichita

A closing reception for “Twelve Minus Two. (Plus Everything)” will take place from 6-8 p.m. Friday, September 26. 

In addition to receptions, the gallery is open from 3-6 p.m. Tuesday-Friday and 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturdays. Harvester Arts is also until 9 p.m. Mondays during the meeting of the Wichita Sketch Club.

Learn more about exhibitions at ShiftSpace on Instagram @wsushiftspacegallery.

Taylor Waller is a mixed-media artist, an art historian, a writer, and an editorial assistant for The SHOUT.

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