THE PRO FILES

Probing, Intruding and Unmasking

Author Q&A: Jakob Zaaiman

Exploring the artistically impenetrable (artwork by Jakob Zaaiman).

Interviewed by Ben Human

From what I’ve read about you, you work on your own artistic pursuits more or less full-time on Mondays through Thursdays, recovering over the ‘weekend’. And you live in London. Are you independently wealthy or do you make a passable living from your art? I can’t believe that London is affordable to anyone but investment bankers or trust fund kids.

Surprisingly London is eminently affordable for the piss-poor (like me) and the almost homeless if you’re careful with your cash. You won’t be able to go out and get wasted every night, but you will still be able to live the life fantastic. I used to meet up (until recently) with a large group of friends in Soho once a week every week for 25 years, always getting ‘well taken care of’ — and without having to spend very much at all — and it was all about knowing where to eat and where to buy your alcohol/narcotics, and where the affordable action was to be found. It can easily be done, but you have to know what you’re up to. In time of course you will…