Five minutes with Eddy Frankel

Eddy Frankel is the founder of OOF, a football-focused contemporary art gallery based at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. He spoke to HCP about The High Cross Pub and Hackney escapees

Eddy Frankel, founder of art gallery OOF

Home is…

Tottenham, naturally. I live deep in the Bermuda triangle between Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and Tottenham Hale. Not a lot happens here, but I can see the cockerel on top of the stadium glowing at night from my bedroom, and I’m moments away from the marshes, so it’s a pretty ideal place to live.

Which shops do you rely on?

Nazar on the High Road is my go-to, it’s so good for fruit, vegetables, olives and Turkish bread. If I’m feeling fancier I pop across the road to the brilliant Fieldseat Cafe, and I spend more time and money than I should admit at Loon Fung wholesalers. But if I’m being honest, my heart truly belongs to my local corner shop, Tilson Stores. It’s not the best, but it is the nearest, and that’s what matters most.

Where do you go for a good time?

The Post Bar does some seriously heavy gigs every now and then, but you’ll mainly find me watching football at The Bluecoats on Tottenham High Road or enjoying probably the best pub in London, The High Cross, near Monument Way.

What makes Haringey special?

There’s such an incredible mixture of cultures and ideas here, and it feels like it hasn’t (yet) been swallowed up by the endless tide of Hackney escapees, so it still has its own vibe and atmosphere.

Where do you go for a moment of quiet?

Quiet isn’t something I particularly need or seek out. But if I really had to be alone with my thoughts, it’s the marshes I’d head to.

A work of art that changed you?

Yves Klein’s whole body of work – especially his monochromes – is what inspired me to study history of art.

Where do you get your culture fix?

A little place called OOF Gallery.

What’s your one rule for life?

Just do stuff. Make the things you want to make, try the things you want to try.

Your go-to coffee spot?

Craving Coffee, between Tottenham Hale and Seven Sisters, is the one.

What should HCP readers be watching, reading or listening to right now?

I’m currently reading Tade Thompson’s Rosewater, which is brilliant and intense. But musically, I’ve got to give a shout out to Tottenham’s own ATVM, one of the best young death metal bands around.

What are you working on at the moment?

The latest issue of OOF Magazine has just come out, so I’m now starting to commission the next issue. Our Mark Titchner exhibition will be ending in February too, so we’re working on our next show as well.

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