Los Angeles-based filmmaker and artist Stanya Kahn has transformed a fast-moving wave of online reactions into a new video project, Deny, Defend, Depose (2026). The 30-minute work draws from social posts that circulated after the December 4, 2024 shooting of UnitedHealthCare CEO Brian Thompson in New York.
Kahn began collecting screenshots as the story unfolded, sensing that the digital conversation would soon disappear into the pace of the news cycle. The finished piece blends rapid-fire posts, edited anonymity, and a driving soundtrack by Acid Arab, Baseck, Caterina Barbieri, Cameron Outlaw, Unknown Origin, and Kahn herself. The result is a portrait of how social media can turn a single event into a public mirror for humor, anger, and collective unease.
The video premiered on September 6 at Human Resources in Los Angeles, with additional screenings planned at Now Instant on September 11 and at Leroy's on October 13. Kahn is also exploring a New York presentation, extending the work's reach beyond its first audience.
Known for moving between film, video, and other media, Kahn has built a career around sharp wit and emotional tension. Her work has appeared at institutions including MoMA PS1, the New Museum, and the Institute of Contemporary Art Los Angeles, and is held in major museum collections.
By turning a viral online moment into a structured artwork, Kahn highlights how digital culture can rapidly shape public feeling and artistic response. Projects like this may influence how future artists archive, interpret, and reframe the social life of the internet.
