11/30: Subliminal Convergence

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This year, Final Friday landed on Black Friday. And while many Americans shopped till they dropped, contemporary art gallery Tangent Lab opened the show Subliminal Convergence. I applaud Brad Ruder, the director of Tangent Lab, for this refreshing move away from the consumer-driven craze.

His show brought together four artists that have never met, but their work overlaps in their respective use of emotionally and psychologically charged symbolism. These artists are: Bob Burdette, Brandon Smith, Greg Turner, and recent resident of Wichita, Holly Suzanne Filbert.

Burdette presents his newest series, titled The Mushroom Forest. Using hand carved figures of pandas, mushrooms, and other fantastical creatures, he sets into motion tales of childhood’s emotional complexities while emphasizing the importance of play. Brandon Smith submits several large scale collages, and while these works attempt to hold the eye with their overwhelming construction, it is his smaller Human Biology series that I find far more intriguing–- and affordable.

Color and humor dominate Greg Turner’s work. As a child of the ‘60s from the West Coast, his high relief paintings and three-dimensional assemblages do not leave the senses unfulfilled. Holly Suzanne Filbert also uses a variety of found materials and color in her work. Each piece is meticulously executed and deeply personal, but, at times, can be too self-indulgent, leaving the viewer little room to feel anything but Filbert’s own story.

Subliminal Convergence is visually intriguing and intellectually satisfying, with very few works that fall flat. The added perk to a Tangent Lab opening is the 10@10 artist talk series, a causal forum to hear the artists speak and to ask questions, making Ruder’s gallery a great place to converge at the end on the night.

Subliminal Convergence can be seen by appointment this week. Email Brad Ruder at to schedule a time. Tangent Lab is located in the Rock Island Market Building at 143 N. Rock Island, 3rd Floor Wichita, KS 67202.