Josh Kline Probes the Transformative Power of ‘Social Media’
Imagining the “all too possible” future.
For Social Media, Josh Kline ushers in an era of self-obsession. On view at Lisson Gallery in New York, the artist presents his first series of self-portraits, approaching the selfie with a new realm of possibility. Through hauntingly realistic forms, the exhibition reflects a moment of self-promotion and commodification in the digital age.
In this new body of work, Kline fragments the body and puzzles them back together. He expands on his decade-long exploration of social media platforms, now implicating himself in these portraits of labor. In a collection of upholstered office chairs and segmented hands clasping tools for various labor practices, the installation immortalizes work-induced exhaustion into a modern-day period piece.
Located somewhere between the present and the imminent future, Social Media catches an ethnographic glimpse of the working world. “As he steps inside the 3D-scanning rig, Kline both turns the camera on himself and holds up a mirror to the conditions of artists in the third decade of the twenty-first century,” the gallery says in a statement.
The exhibition is now on view at Lisson Gallery through October 19, 2024.
Lisson Gallery
508 West 24th Street,
New York, NY
