Belinda Frikh Interview

Forty nine questions and art ain’t one.

1 Favourite Colour? Grey and Mustard

2 When you were growing up what did you want to be? A fashion illustrator

3 Name the Place you’d most like to live in? Paris

4 Seaside or Countryside?  Seaside

5 You’re hosting a dinner party what’s your signature dish? Roast chicken and Gratin

6 Dogs or Cats?  I love both

7 What was your nickname at school? Freak c’est chic or Bells

8 Most influential person in your life?  I’ve had many, Barbara Hulanicki, Gustav Klimt, Gruau, SImone Weil.. To name a few.

9 If you could go back in time to which period would you go to?  1920s 

10 Name an Instagram account you follow.  @loicprigent

11 Favourite Museum or Gallery?  V&A

12 If money was no object, what luxury item would you buy yourself?  A Willy Rizzo coffee table and actually most of the 70’s Italian lacquered furnitures.

13 First single/album you bought.  I think it was Yazoo, ‘Don’t go’

14 Person you’d love to meet? Jean-Paul Gaultier 

15 Describe your ultimate romantic date.  Restaurant ‘La Foly’ on the terrasse in front of the Lac des Confins in La Clusaz (French Alps)

16 You are happiest when…….  I’m on my drawing board

17 What makes you sad? Homelessness 

18 If you could change one thing about the world.  I’d erase Neoliberalism, the root of all Evils

19 Whats the first thing on your bucket list?  To finish my website (I’ve been saying it for years)

20 Favorite Restaurant?  Brasserie St Maurice & L’étage in Annecy and le foly in La Clusaz.

21 Book shop or Record Shop?  Book shop

22 Name your favourite book? The one I’m reading at the moment, ’21 lessons for the 21st century’ by Yuval Noah Harari

23 Pet Hate : Arrogance 

24 Prize Possession : I don’t have one yet

25 How many tattoos/piercings do you have? No tattoos, a couple of piercings but quite a few scars.

26 Gym or Jim Bean?  Gym even if I’m struggling at it

27 What colour are your eyes?  Brown

28 Junk Food which is your dirty secret?  The classic fish and chips.

29 What’s your poison?  My pen and paper

30 Describe your morning routine.   Coffee, shower, coffee again and drawing board.

31 Where do you call home? My home town, Annecy

32 What makes you laugh? All the witty things

33 What perfume/aftershave do you use? Chergi, Serge Lutens

34 Whats you favourite season and why?  Autumn and its fabulous shades of yellow and red, and partly because I love the Halloween season.

35 Describe the wildest night out you’ve ever had. The opening of the Versace store on Bond street, around 2000. I vomited everywhere in front of all the guests. The security carried me out in a room where all the Versace freebie bags and I vomited on the bags as well. I blamed the small Pop Champagne bottles served with a straw. 

36 What opportunity have you turned down?  The non paid ones

37 Have you ever been arrested?  Noooooo

38 Favorite Quote?  ‘I hate reality but it is still the best place to get a good steak’ Woody Allen

39 First Gig?  Status Quo, I think I was 10.

40 Biggest Regret?  To not having been more focused on my art earlier.

41 Describe something that you are proud of  : To have a couple of artwork in the private apartment of the owner of The Great Scotland Yard Hotel. Him and his wife apparently felt in love with my work.

42 Describe yourself in 3 words. Creative, quirky, loner 

43 Favourite film.  I’m a total movie geek.. Papillon, Blade Runner, Once upon in America, the 7 mercenaries, Breaking the waves, One night on earth, Exotica, Sweet hereafter, The Wonderboys.. and many, many more.

44 How many pairs of shoes do you own?  No idea, but it’s never enough.

45 Describe a favourite walk  Around the lake Annecy

46 Tell us whats in your bag/pockets: Keys, wallet and an insane amount of pens

47 Who was the last person you called?  My partner, we argued on what to eat for dinner.

48 Whats the tune/band that you are listening to the most?  Nicolas Jaar, Todd Terje, Supertramp, Hall and oates, Bowie and The Alan Parsons Project

49 Whats your cure for a hangover?  Citrate de betaine, Miso soup and a nap