CONTACT
Josh Kline
어댑테이션 Adaptation | 2019–22 | 10’45”
Courtesy the artist and Lisson Gallery
Courtesy the artist and Lisson Gallery
Synopsis
The short film Adaptation (2019–2022) imagines a future Manhattan reshaped by the consequences of catastrophic climate change. The narrative follows a team of relief workers at the end of their shift, navigating a city marked by rising waters and environmental collapse. Described by the artist as a “science fiction of ordinary life,” the film considers what everyday existence might look like for those tasked with repairing the damage created by the political and economic decisions of previous generations. The fictional labourers in Adaptation survive through essential yet undervalued forms of work—physically demanding jobs that sustain society but often remain unseen. Using analogue techniques such as scale models, miniatures and matte shots, and filmed on 16mm color film rather than high-definition digital video, Kline creates an expressionistic vision of a future transformed by global warming. Presented in the Scene V: Back to the Sea, the work reflects on rising oceans and the long human labour required to confront a world transformed by climate change.
About the artist
Josh Kline’s art questions how emergent technologies are being used to change human life in the 21st century. He often utilizes the technologies, practices, and forms he scrutinizes—digitization, data collection, image manipulation, 3D-printing, advertising, and productivity-enhancing substances—aiming them back at themselves. Some of his most well-known videos use early deepfake software to speculate on the meaning of truth in a time of post-truth propaganda. At its core, Kline’s practice is focused on work and class, exploring how today’s most urgent social and political issues—climate change, automation, and the weakening of democracy—impact the labor force. His work has been widely exhibited in the United States and internationally. In 2024, he had a solo exhibition at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, and was included in the 24th Biennale of Sydney and the 8th Yokohama Triennial. In 2023, his work was the subject of a major survey exhibition at the Whitney Museum in New York. His work has also been shown at major institutions including The Museum of Modern Art, the New Museum, and MoMA PS1 in New York; the Hirschhorn Museum, Washington, D.C.; Walker Art Center; and Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, among others.