About Mainyard Studios - Hackney Wick Maker Spaces

Co-founders Tori and Remi had a vision: to create a haven where entrepreneurs, freelancers, and small businesses could connect and grow. In 2012, they transformed a derelict factory in Hackney Wick, East London into their dream workspace.

Juggling two jobs and hosting parties to raise funds, they worked tirelessly day and night, using upcycled and scavenged materials to breathe new life into the neglected building. Their hard work paid off, creating a vibrant community space where innovation could flourish.

Today, Mainyard Studios has exploded from that single location at 90 Wallis Road to 12 sites across 5 London boroughs, with no signs of slowing down!

In March 2023, Mainyard Studios opened Hackney Wick Maker Spaces — a unique special project in partnership with Creative Land Trust and supported by the Mayor of London, Arts Council England, Bloomberg Philanthropies and Outset Contemporary Art Fund.

CLT's mission is to secure long-term affordable studios for artists and makers, a perfect match with Mainyard Studios' mission to provide the best workspaces for creative professionals in London — because every entrepreneur deserves a space to build a life-changing business.

Mainyard Studios has built a thriving hub where makers and artists don’t just work — they experiment, share ideas, and bring their visions to life. It’s a space where workshops spark new skills, businesses grow with confidence, and connections turn into collaborations, friendships, and sometimes even whole new ventures. More than walls and studios, it’s a buzzing creative ecosystem where ambition meets community — and where the next generation of London’s talent is shaping the city’s cultural future together.

This Open Studios, we’re excited to open our doors and invite you in to meet some of the incredible Mainyarders who make our Hackney Wick Maker Spaces such a vibrant, inspiring place to be.

1. Meet the Mainyarders Tour - Max Maxwell

Stop 1 – Max Maxwell

Max Maxwell is a London-based contemporary artist with a multifaceted practice that spans painting, sculpture, film, and video installations.

His work is known for its experimental and multidisciplinary nature, often combining traditional techniques with modern technology.

See contemporary artworks inside the studio of a local multidisciplinary artist.

http://maxxart.com

@maxxart.co.uk

2. Meet the Mainyarders Tour - Threads Boutique

Stop 2 – Threads Boutique

Welcome to our creative corner where we mend, make, alter clothes, accessories & furnishings with love & style 💖 From thread to trend!

Visitors will get to see a peek into Threads Boutique: handmade jewellery, candles in vintage crockery, and handmade scrunchies.

@threadsmending

3. Meet the Mainyarders Tour - Flux & Factory4 Collecti

Stop 3 – Flux & Factory4 Collective

Flux is an artist and member of the Factory4 collective.

Factory4, based at Mainyard Studios in Hackney Wick, is an artist-led nomadic gallery specialising in Digital and AI art projects.

The other artists in the collective are Akane Hiraoka and Zhannet Podobed, with collections curated by Lola Yara.

Members of the Factory4 collective have had several international shows including exhibiting at the Tate Modern.

We will be putting on a pop up gallery show and opening up the studio for visits.

@flux__art

4. Meet the Mainyarders Tour - Real Hackney Dave

Dave came to screen printing pretty late in life and has now become totally possessed by it. Anytime that he's not in the studio printing, you will find him trawling around auction sites and flea markets looking for interesting found images and ephemera that he can try and print onto.

In a past life, Dave spent over 35 years working in advertising, co-founding several acclaimed creative agencies. He uses the techniques of mass communication and propaganda to create evocative pieces that connect in an emotive and humorous way.

Pop down to our studio space and see where we work and what we do.

@realhackneydave

5. Meet the Mainyarders Tour - R.Byrne Art

Originally from Cape Town, I immigrated to the U.K as a young teen and graduated from Dartington College of Arts at the end of my education.

I started screen printing professionally and artistically 15 years ago and now run my art practice and printing business, Mesh & Blade, out of my Hackney Wick studio/gallery, Inky Fingers.

My work is heavily inspired by my love of colour, abstraction and the mechanisms of screen printing and its influences physically and conceptually on my creative process.

Visit to the studio for a short talk about the screen printing process.

Original and editioned artwork on sale with a discount offer on framing!

https://rbyrneart.com/

@rbyrneart

6. Meet the Mainyarders Tour - Edit Art

Founded by editions specialist Bee, we are an independent gallery working with some of the UK's most talented urban artists.

We have something for everyone, as our offer ranges from small signed prints to high end originals (and everything in between).

We can help you discover artwork that feels personal and fits with your own unique style.

By collaborating with artists who work with both historic techniques and cutting edge processes, we showcase a diverse range of works across various mediums and disciplines.

editart.co.uk

@editart.co.uk

7. Meet the Mainyarders Tour - Repot Hackney Wick

Repot is a plant shop and a creative, multi-sensorial space rooted in Hackney Wick.

Born here in 2020, we began by painting pots at home during lockdown and have since grown into a local business.

We specialise in indoor and outdoor plants, bespoke painted pots, and plant installations that transform corporate offices, hospitality venues and homes.

Repot is also a creative hub, curating exhibitions and giving a space to emerging and local makers to sell their work.

Alongside this, our programme of workshops—such as terrarium making and pot painting—invites the community to get hands-on and inspired.

Repot is about reconnecting with nature and creativity, while celebrating the unique spirit of Hackney Wick.

https://repot.uk/

@repot.hackneywick