Gay Block Houston, Texas, b. 1942

Gay Block’s Love: South Beach in the ‘80s are photographs of Jewish retirees in Art Deco hotels on South Beach in the early 80s. Block grew up in a strict reform Jewish household in Houston and found the retirees on South Beach to be easy going and relaxed. She fell in love with the Yiddish accents and carefree demeanor, saying that they were “the bubbes and zaydes (grandmothers and grandfathers) I had longed for.” One of the things that Block admired most was the way that many people sat on the porch and socialized. In Untitled (Smoker), a woman exhales smoke from both her nostrils and her mouth. The woman has a black lace shirt on with a white blazer, pearl earrings, a cameo, and Star of David necklace. She is completely unaware of the camera and completely nonchalant.