Diana Blok in the Art Gallery

In the project Time Tells, Diana Blok explores her complex family history. 

Her Jewish father, Philip Blok, worked for the Turkish ambassador in The Hague, who took him to Buenos Aires in 1938. As a result, he survived the Shoah (Holocaust). He concealed his Jewish background from Blok’s mother and their children, and bore the grief of the loss of his murdered parents and brother alone. 

Over time, Blok has charted this history through photographs, texts and films. The Jewish Museum now shows a selection of these works. 

In the documentary, Blok speaks with the family of the Turkish ambassador in Istanbul, whom she met by chance when she was in Turkey for another project. 

The black-and-white images show clothes that Blok’s mother designed, made and embroidered. When she was younger, she worked as a professional couturier in Buenos Aires. The garments were worn by her and her four daughters. 

The colour image is an enlarged detail of the Wailing Wall. While reviewing the material, Blok accidentally turned the image into a negative. As a result, the notes with wishes resemble jewellery and the stones appear fluid. For Blok, it is an expression of the deep anguish she experienced when she visited the Wailing Wall. 

The Dutch Argentinian photographer Diana Blok (1952) was born in Uruguay and grew up in various countries in Latin America. She has lived in Amsterdam since 1974. In her work, she focuses primarily on the themes of identity, family ties, memory and gender. 

The presentation is on view from 17 April until 18 October 2026 in the Art Gallery at the Jewish Museum.