10,000 HOURS: the work behind the work
Studio 404’s third free London creative showcase: 10,000 HOURS took over Laundry Studios in Hackney this September and celebrated the practice, persistence, experimentation and repetition behind creative work. And if you missed opening night, the exhibition is still open to the public until 27 November 2026.
In a world increasingly obsessed with overnight success, 10,000 HOURS was our reminder that almost nothing meaningful happens overnight.
Behind every finished painting, photograph, idea, career or creative practice are all the hours nobody sees. The attempts that didn’t work. The abandoned ideas. The repetition. The experiments. The mistakes. The days when inspiration doesn’t arrive and you make something anyway.
On 3 September 2026, hundreds of people joined us at Laundry Studios in Hackney for an evening dedicated to exactly that: the work behind the work.
And, in true Studio 404 fashion, nobody was expected to simply stand around and look at it.
Celebrating practice, not perfection
10,000 HOURS brought together work from emerging and established artists, photographers, illustrators, designers and multidisciplinary creatives, exploring what it means to build a craft over time.
The exhibition was co-curated with Penelope from NALA | The Art Matchmaker, Grow Up Art and The Big Issue, alongside contributions from Moniker Art, Gran Salón México and The Little Studio / Image Print Centre.
Our collaboration with The Big Issue also coincided with its 35th year, making the evening an opportunity to celebrate a platform with its own long history of persistence, creativity and creating opportunities for people.
The result was an exhibition that wasn't really interested in the polished end point. It was about process.
The hours spent learning your craft. The work that never gets posted. The things you make before you make the thing you're proud of. The persistence required to keep going when nobody is watching. Because the finished work is only ever part of the story.
More than an art exhibition
Studio 404 events aren't designed to be passively consumed. Alongside the exhibition, 10,000 HOURS brought together live art, hands-on creative workshops, music, food, drinks and opportunities to make something yourself.
That's an important part of what we're trying to build.
We want contemporary art and culture to feel accessible to people who may not ordinarily walk into a gallery. We want emerging artists to have opportunities to show, share and sell their work. And we want audiences to feel like they're part of an experience rather than simply observing one.
There is no pressure to know anything about art. No pressure to be creative. No pressure to be good at anything. We just want you to come in, make something, discover someone, talk to a stranger and GET OFF YOUR PHONE!
That's it.
Three shows. One bigger idea.
10,000 HOURS was our third Studio 404 exhibition of 2026.
FACE 2 FACE began with a simple question: what happens when we create a reason for people to put their phones down and meet each other again?
Then came TOUCH GRASS, which asked us to look beyond the screen and experience the world around us through art, movement, nature, street culture, play and making things with our hands.
With 10,000 HOURS, we turned our attention to what happens when nobody is looking: the repetition, experimentation and persistence required to build something over time.
Different themes, but the same belief underneath all of them: Real life, offline, matters.
In an increasingly digital world, we're interested in creating spaces that give people a reason to show up.
What is Studio 404?
Studio 404 is a non-profit social enterprise and brand experience agency built around a simple idea: getting people off their screens and into real life.
We work with brands, organisations, spaces, artists and communities to create cultural experiences, exhibitions, activations, launches, installations, workshops and events that people genuinely want to be part of.
Our commercial work helps fund our free cultural programming, creating opportunities for artists while making art and creativity accessible to wider communities.
Put simply: Brand experiences funding cultural experiences.
Every ticket donation, partnership and piece of support helps us continue doing that. So to everyone who donated to 10,000 HOURS: thank you. Whether it was £1 or considerably more, you're helping us keep these experiences accessible and continue creating opportunities for artists and communities.
You can still visit 10,000 HOURS
Missed opening night? The exhibition isn't over. 10,000 HOURS remains open at Laundry Studios, Hackney, Monday–Friday, 9am–4pm, until 27 November 2026.
Come and spend some time with the work, discover artists you may not have encountered before and see what hundreds of people came together to celebrate on opening night.
Thank you
These events don't happen by themselves, and we're incredibly grateful to everyone who contributed time, work, space, products, ideas and energy to make 10,000 HOURS happen. A huge thank you to our partners Laundry Studios, Great Art UK, Catch Cameras, London International Paste Up Festival, Most Wanted Wines, Pimentae, SKIP and Five Points Brewing for helping us bring it to life.
And thank you to the people who captured it so beautifully: Raheem, Donya and Studio Bonus.
Most importantly, thank you to every artist who trusted us with their work, every facilitator and creative who contributed to the night, and every single person who showed up.
To support Studio 404 and help us continue creating free and accessible cultural experiences, you can donate hereand follow us on Instagram.
Next up: GIVE PRESENCE
And we're not finished yet. Our fourth and final Studio 404 show of 2026 lands at Laundry Studios on 3 December.
GIVE PRESENCE is our invitation to think differently about giving this December.
In a season of buying, scrolling, rushing and consuming, we're creating an evening ccenteredaround attention, creativity, generosity, meaningful exchange and actually being together. Expect art, live making, creative workshops, music, food, drinks, community… and our first live art auction.
This December, don't just give presents. GIVE PRESENCE.
Thank you
To the artists who trusted us with their work:
Banita Mistry - Maduka Onyebuchi - Hannah Lipsey - Nathalia Bertazi - Beth Williams - The Gele Painter - Noé Peiró - Diana Avram - Joseph Ebube - Envol - Ciáran C. - JRD - Elfreda Dali - Iskra Sale - Naomi Likayi - Agnieszka Katz Barlow - Amelia Coward - Pascale Calcutt - Rose Boakes - James Klinge - Giulia Mastracchio - Stuart Preston - Imogen Webb - Lawrence Meju - Orla Smith - Natasha Muluswela - Rikesh Chauhan - Teig Hyde-Corrin - April Lavin - Matthew Small - Haoua Habre - Harerta Tesfay - Christopher Constable - Oyinloluwa Ilesanmi - Nwaokpani Ebube Ebenezer - Kyle Barnes - Andrew J Millar - Perspicere - Isabel Deprince - Pedro Mishima - OXHOJA - Karimah Hassan - Alexis Stiteler - Aluu Prosper - Hito Kanie - Klara Sedlo - Ketty Haolin Zhang - Barbara Caputo - Horhát Kund Lehel - Santi Arbelaez - Paolo Terdich - João Abreu Lopes - Kamilah Ahmed - Michael Henley - Christian Jago - Claudiu - Daniel John Bracken - Glenn Mottershead - Henry Rice - Iman Wu - Leon Lau - LIULONG - j.b.e. mclean - Yunny Que
Guest Curators:
BLAM - Moniker Art - Penelope from NALA - Gran Salón México - Grow Up Art - Little Design Studio
Workshop facilitators:
Yahvi - Maya - Chantelle - Maryam - Kiehla - Cici Noir
Special shout-out to:
Creative Debuts - Other Box - The Laundry Studios team - Tina from Moniker Art - NALA - Great Art UK - Catch - London Fields Pub - Studio Bonus Official - Lauren - Luke - Devantay J - Donya - Giulia Paratelli - Most Wanted Wines - Skip CBD Drinks - Pimantae Drinks - Five Points Brew
And of course, to the people who booked a ticket and queued patiently! And to everyone behind the scenes who made it happen.
Partner with Studio 404
Studio 404 is a non-profit CIC creating free art events, exhibitions, and cultural experiences in London and beyond, designed to support emerging and established artists/creatives and bring people together OFFLINE BY DESIGN™.
We work with brands, organisations and cultural partners through event partnerships, sponsorships, creative activations, artist commissions and takeovers. If you're interested in supporting a future Studio 404 event or building something with us → Contact us here.
