Kinsey theme: fetch posts published before a date

<?php

add_filter( 'arts/elementor/kinsey_widget_portfolio_fullscreen_slider_backgrounds_1/query_args', 'custom_kinsey_filter_2' );
function custom_kinsey_filter_2( $args ) {
  $args['date_query'] = array(
    array(
      'before'    => 'July 20, 2021',
      'inclusive' => true,
    ),
  );

  return $args;
}