How to Photograph a Set of Chairs

In 2023, my father had to empty his apartment for renovations. It wasn’t his choice, but it ended up being a much-needed push to part with a significant amount of (excess) furniture. He had lived in that apartment for over forty years – a space filled with objects and memories from different phases of our lives: squatting with friends, my mother moving in, my brother and I growing up there, and later, my mother moving out.

For as long as I can remember, my father has bought most of his belongings through Marktplaats.nl, the Dutch second-hand advertising platform. I have vivid memories of him photographing household items to sell and of people regularly stopping by to pick up a set of speakers or a high-quality pair of headphones. I also remember the many trips we made together to collect large, heavy pieces – like a massive oak table or a vintage closet – and hauling them up to the second floor.

When it came time to clear out the apartment, I helped him as a firm but gentle assistant, guiding him through the decisions of what to keep and what to let go. When you think of belongings as extensions of identity – especially for someone who (accidentally) collects – you can imagine how difficult and emotional it was to give up half of everything.

Spending more time there again, I began moving through the rooms, noticing what remained. My long-held impression was confirmed: many objects and pieces of furniture were present in multiples. That rediscovery inspired me to start photographing this personal archive. I gathered similar items from around the apartment and began creating installations or sculptures with them, which became the basis for the series Helmersstraat.

While working on the project, I remembered the photos my father used to take for his Marktplaats listings. Browsing through his folders – thousands of images – I became fascinated by them. They revealed his careful attempts to present each object in the best light, sometimes creating a small mise-en-scène with a flower to make it feel cosy, other times experimenting with angles or including other objects to give a sense of scale. Occasionally, he made creative choices – stacking items, arranging them like still lifes. What began as practical images had become an unintentional visual archive – one that felt like an extension of the project itself.

Unconsciously I got influenced by these photographs and while our motivations to take photos are very different, we ended up photographing the same subject, sometimes even in similar ways.

Marens van Leunen is part of »Guest Room: Aaron Stern«

Check out her Artist Feature Helmersstraat.