Verena Blok (b. 1990, NL) carries a deep interest for personal histories and narrative storytelling. Intrigued by the way cultural and political factors influence one’s life, she uses her lens-based practice to shed light on the inner life of people she develops intimate relationships with over time. The encounter serves as the core of and fuel for her work. Blok uses an analogue small format camera of which its unobtrusive character allows close contact. While embedding herself in specific contexts, small pockets of worlds are formed where both she and her protagonists become part of. Oscillating between portraiture, still lifes, and close-up shots of both objects and bodies, the nuances of human emotion serve as the common thread throughout her work.
As a Dutch-Polish dual citizen, Blok maintains a keen awareness of her positioning between East and West. Her practice is partially inspired by her upbringing in Poland and the USA, where over the years she witnessed its shifting ideologies. In dreamlike settings, often with a cinematic quality, Blok seeks out the discomfort within topics that are contested in society, such as the performance of gender and hypermasculinity, coming-of-age, nationalism, and most recently abortion and reproductive rights. Her projects result in books, photographic works, and short films.
Blok holds an MA Photography from AKV St. Joost in Breda (NL) and a BA Design (Photography) from the Royal Academy of Arts (KABK) in The Hague (NL). She was an artist in residence at Rijksakademie van beeldende kunsten 2020-2022. Her work is part of the permanent collection of Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam and the Dutch Federal Government (Collectie Rijksoverheid).