Friday 24 October, 10am–5pm – Brentford Market Place & Saturday 25 October, 11am–5pm – Bell Square, Hounslow

Watermans presents Free.Her, a compelling outdoor photographic exhibition by London-based Polish artist and ethnographer Anna Jochymek. The exhibition features twenty large-format photographic portraits created in collaboration with Polish migrant women living in or connected to the London Borough of Hounslow.

Each portrait is the result of a personal photographic session during which the women shared stories of migration, resilience, and empowerment. These intimate conversations revealed how each woman defines freedom—reflecting on their journeys, challenges, and triumphs as women and migrants in the UK.

Together, the portraits and accompanying testimonies form a powerful visual and narrative tapestry that sheds light on the lived experiences of Polish women in Hounslow, and invites the wider public to reflect on what freedom means in today’s world—particularly through the lens of gender, identity, and belonging.

Free.Her is part of Our Freedom: Then and Now, a national creative programme developed by Future Arts Centres to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of the Second World War. The initiative is supported by the UK Government through Arts Council England.

After its public display, the exhibition will be archived at Gunnersbury Museum, becoming part of the Hounslow Archive and preserving these powerful stories for future generations.

About Anna Jochymek: Anna Jochymek is a Polish-born, London-based artist, ethnographer, and researcher working at the intersection of visual arts, social anthropology, and public engagement. Anna Jochymek is currently a Postdoctoral Research Associate at the School of Social Sciences and Professions, Centre for Global Diversities and Inequalities at Metropolitan University London, working as an ethnographer in a pioneering interdisciplinary study funded by the Economic and Social Research Council.

About FAC: Future Arts Centres (FAC) is a national network of over 170 arts centres across the UK. FAC champions the role of arts centres as vital public spaces that foster creativity, community, and cultural expression. In 2023, FAC became a registered company and an Arts Council England IPSO, providing sector support and leadership.

About Our Freedom: Then and Now: “Our Freedom: Then and Now” is part of a £2 million national creative programme marking the 80th anniversary of the end of the Second World War. Supported by the UK Government through Arts Council England, the Future Arts Centres and Libraries Connected initiative will see 60 arts centres and libraries across Britain present community-led projects exploring the legacy of VE Day and VJ Day. “Our Freedom: Then and Now” empowers artists, veterans and residents to explore themes of past and present freedoms through 60 creative projects, including exhibitions, performances and installations running from June to November 2025.

Free.Her – An Outdoor Exhibition by Anna Jochymek

Exploring Freedom Through the Eyes of Polish Migrant Women
Locations: Brentford Market Place & Bell Square, Hounslow
Dates: Friday 24 October, 10am–5pm – Brentford Market Place and Saturday 25 October, 11am–5pm – Bell Square, Hounslow

More information via this link