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Fleet Studios was an artist studio and gallery space, repurposed from a disused office block at 8-12 New Bridge Street, just outside Blackfriars. Born from a shared vision between Spark York founders Tom MccKenzie and Sam Leach and Lady Lucy French of the Fleet Street Quarter, the project set out to create a much-needed youthful artistic hub in the heart of the city’s financial and legal district.
Its mission was to empower creatives across London by providing an affordable, inclusive and versatile space for artistic exploration, transforming a 9,000 sq/ft building that had been sitting idle and awaiting development into a force for good.
At its core was the belief that art has the power to transcend boundaries, inspire change, and unite communities.
We aimed to build more than just studio space: Fleet studios housed a gallery, flexible event spaces, creative co-working areas and even a podcast room. It offered a platform to artists (particularly younger ones) who are so often denied opportunities in london due to financial barriers or lack of connections. Having personally experienced the frustration of closed doors after leaving the education system, this mission resonated deeply with me, and has more broadly been something that I have been passionate about and consistently committed to addressing in my professional and personal life.
From the studio's launch in July 2024 to April 2025, I served as Studio & Gallery Manager. My role covered a wide range of responsibilities, including programming and curating exhibitions and events, budget allocation, managing partnerships and sponsors, overseeing operations and maintenance, studio sales, staff management and the day-to-day running of the space. Starting with an empty office block in July 2024, we reached full studio occupancy by January 2025, a milestone celebrated with Momentum, an exhibition showcasing work from all our resident artists.
It became a space where innovation flourished, collaborations grew, and underrepresented voices found expression across a wide range of media. I remain incredibly proud of what was achieved during my time there, and even prouder of how the residents themselves shaped and transformed the project into something greater than we first envisioned.
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Fleet Studios proved that, when given access to resources and a level playing field (even in temporary spaces) young creatives in this city seize the opportunity wholeheartedly, creating work and community that leave a very real and lasting impact.
REGULAR PROGRAMMINNG
858 ART CLUB
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In January 2025, I.coordinated the launch of 858 art club in our space. Founded led by Farouk alao (@farouk858) with detailed teaching from co-leader Nwakuba Udenze. Every Monday evening, our main room was transformed into a creative hub for 3d artists, designers, and enthusiasts exploring the world of digital art through the free Blender software.
Open to all levels, from complete beginners to seasoned creators,
the sessions encouraged learning, experimentation and collaboration in a supportive community environment.
For those unable to attend in person, the classes were also live-streamed, ensuring accessibility and reach beyond our walls.
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Over twelve weeks, 858 art club grew into more than just a class, it became a vibrant community where ideas and practices from across disciplines blended together.
The programme culminated on April 12th with a landmark exhibition at Tate Britain, titled In My Room. For one day, the gallery was transformed into the lived-in bedroom of a creative: a playful, immersive installation built entirely from the work of participants. The exhibition marked both the conclusion of the twelve-week journey and a celebration of what can be achieved when access, openness and community fuel the creative process.
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"IN MY ROOM" - TATE BRITAIN
KNIGHT CLUB CHESS
From February to early June 2025, Fleet Studios was the home of Knight Club Chess, a unique weekly gathering that brought together players of all levels led by Yusuf Ntahilaja and Lucia Ene-Lesikar.
Every Tuesday evening, people came not only to play and compete but to connect. With food and atmosphere provided by Manu Marmolejo Díaz’s Mardemole, Knight Club quickly became a hub of creativity, collaboration and community.
The final Tuesday of each month marked a special highlight, when Knight Club opened into a wider celebration with live DJs, blending the focus of the game with the energy of the dancefloor. This spirit grew into Club Knight, a recurring event where strategy gave way to sound, and the same values that guided the boards, [focus, flair, and connection] spilled onto the dancefloor.
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SHOT BY MIKEY LEE @MEDIAMIXERUK
ART SCHOOL
Real Art school was an initiative designed to create a welcoming space for artists and art lovers to learn new techniques.
The bi-monthly sessions, led by Emily Stanisavljevic encouraged participants of all levels to explore stencil art, experiment with materials and bring their own creative visions to life. Emily was our first 'booth' resident artist and made the most of the space through this workshop, which was extremely gratifying to see. The class perfectly aligned with Fleet’s vision of becoming an accessible platform for skill sharing and creative development.
The opening session was particularly special, attended by artist Elicia Eira, who not only engaged with the workshop, but later kindly created a stunning stencilled mural for our staircase, drawing on imagery and ideas developed during the first session.
This work transformed the space, providing a lasting visual testament to the creativity sparked during the workshop.
EXHIBITIONS & EVENTS
During my time at fleet, I had the pleasure of hosting a wide variety of exhibitions and events, each leaving its own mark on the space and community. Below is a selection of a few of the most memorable and personally fulfilling experiences that I feel resonated deeply with curators, visitors, as well as myself.
ART TO ART
In October 2024, we hosted Art to Art: Creativity, Conversation & Community, a group exhibition curated by Molly piper-greaves in collaboration with Voices Radio, where she founded and hosts the Art to Art podcast/ radio show. The show and podcast was founded on the belief that conversations about art should be open, accessible, and welcoming. This exhibition sought to carry those discussions from the radio waves into the gallery space.
Running from October 16th–19th and kindly sponsored by the lovely team at Two Tribes brewery, the exhibition featured eight artists who had each been guests on the first season of art to art: Eliza Hopewell, Tomi Olopade, Alice Skinner, Ranya El-Refaey, Kimberley Cookey-Gam, Adelina SasnauskaitÄ—, Daisy Tortuga, and Chloé Rochefort. Their works reflected the breadth of voices and practices that had shaped the season’s inspiring “heart-to-heart” conversations, offering audiences a chance to engage with the ideas discussed on air through the physical presence of art.
The week opened with a private view and concluded with a vibrant closing party on October 19th. Surrounded by the exhibiting works, the celebration marked the end of art to art’s first season and featured sets from Voices Radio DJs Kisa, Mira, 2atefour and myself.
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As its home for the week, Fleet Studios became a living extension of the art to art ethos: a space where accessibility, dialogue, and community could thrive. From thoughtful exchanges in the gallery to joyful moments on the dancefloor, the exhibition embodied the project’s mission to make art and the conversations around it, something everyone can be part of!
FUTURE LANGUAGE OF THE IKONOKLAST
From October 2nd–5th, 2024, Fleet Studios proudly exhibited Future Language of the Ikonoklast, a group exhibition curated by Remi Rough and Keith Hopewell (Part2ism).
Aligned with the release of the landmark book, future language of the Ikonoklast: a visual history of the Ikonoklast movement, the exhibition explored the legacy of the pioneering collective whose radical approaches to spray paint in the late 1990s helped reshape the language of contemporary urban art.
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Featuring work by Remi Rough, Keith Hopewell, Gary Stranger, Will Barras, Jason System, Stormie Mills, Juice126, Black and White Creatives, Steve More, Dermographix, Faisal Hussain, and Oliver Kartak. The exhibition brought together leading figures connected to the Ikonoklast ethos. Across the gallery and beyond, fleet became a living archive of experimentation, collaboration, and visual innovation.
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On October 3rd, the curators joined Juice Aleem for a discussion on the history and politics of the Ikonoklast movement, followed by an Afrofuturist talk, tracing the left-field cultural currents running through street practice.
The following day, members of the collective recreated and reimagined a classic 1998 mural collaboration with live painting on Fleet’s rear walls.
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As its home for this pivotal exhibition, Fleet Studios not only hosted a celebration of the Ikonoklast movement’s influence, but also provided the space for new generations of creatives to participate in its evolving language.
Proof that the spirit of Iconoclasm continues to challenge, disrupt and inspire.
GREAT NEWS
In July 2024, I hosted our very first solo exhibition, Great News, by artist Sani Sani-Mohammed (@inxsanixty).
Subtitled ‘a letter to journalism,’ the show interrogated the language and impact of the media industry through works created over the past several years.
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Working with both newspapers and painting, Sani transformed familiar formats into striking visual critiques that encouraged viewers to look beyond the surface of headlines and articles.
At a time marked by the rise of AI and deepening social polarisation, the exhibition resonated with urgent questions: what are we really consuming when we read the news and how does the media shape, distort, or define our realities?
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Running from 4-18 July 2024, Great News was not only a landmark as Fleet’s first solo exhibition, but also a bold reminder of the role of artists in holding mirrors to society and sparking necessary, sometimes uncomfortable, conversations.
16 SUNSETS
In September 2024, I had the pleasure of hosting the launch of Sixteen Sunsets, a new podcast by Dr. Kevin Fong and Telltale Industries. The evening brought together an audience for a fascinating exploration of the nasa space shuttle program, reflecting on its three decades of operation and the profound cultural significance it continues to hold.
Through anecdotes, personal stories, and historical insight, the event illuminated the way space exploration has shaped not only science and technology, but also our collective imagination.
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The night was made even more special by the generosity of our partners Impeccable Sandwiches, Black Lines drinks, and Two Tribes Brewery, who provided food and drink for the occasion. I was proud to provide the backdrop for this inspiring evening, bridging space science, storytelling, and community.
DO I LOOK LIKE A GAMER?
In November 2024, fleet studios had the joy of hosting Mayamadatv for their “Do I look like a Gamer?” design jam, an initiative dedicated to ensuring that future generations of gaming talent are more representative and diverse than the industry is today.
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The event brought together participants of all backgrounds and experience levels, who collaborated to generate bold new ideas for the future of gaming. With the support and expert mentorship of Bafta-winning game designers, these concepts were sharpened and developed into tangible visions of what gaming could become.
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It was an inspiring day of creativity, collaboration, and empowerment, driven by the belief that the gaming industry should reflect the wide range of people who play and create within it.
CHARGIE
[MUSIC VIDEO]
In November 2024, our courtyard became the set for a dynamic new music video directed by Kay Holden. The video, for UK drum and bass duo Sigma’s “Chargie,” featuring Scrufizzer and Jamakabi, captures the energy and creativity of the location, turning our outdoor space into a moody and cinematic backdrop.
We were extremely proud to have supported the production and contributed to bringing this vision to life. You can watch the full video below and experience the project for yourself!
"RITMO AGBARA" EP LAUNCH
In May 2025, Fleet studios played host to the launch party for the Ritmo Agbara EP by Nigerian/Colombian music collective Baile Ijó. The event celebrated the release of the EP, which officially dropped on May 9th and brought together a lively mix of music, art and movement.
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The launch featured the EP cover painted by myself and G3negraphy, alongside a curated selection of works by visiting and resident artists. The night also showcased exclusive -shirt designs by Israel Visual, most of which sold out during the event!
