The Third House Owner at Huis Marseille

The Huis Marseille is a very old building, 353 years old to be exact. With an house that old there are also many stories about their former owners. The Third House Owner by Chikako Wanatabe is about exactly that, the third house owner of Huis Marseille; Wouter Valkenier. Valkenier, who lived in the house until his death in 1709, had a portrait made of him in a banyan (a Japanese skirt), this inspired the contemporary Japanese artist Watanabe to create an associative installation.

About the installation

In her installation she lets Wouter Valkenier roam around the house once again, in his beautiful long wig and Japanese skirt of course. With this she shows how the past and present are connected in the building. Around him a new exhibition has been constructed in the museum for photography that Huis Marseille has been since 1999. In the hall cupboard he finds soap, savon de Marseille, the French city with which the house’s first resident, Focquier traded and after which the house is named.