As part of the Future Arts Centre’s national project, Our Freedom: Then and Now, Watermans commissioned artist, Anna Jochymek to invite twenty Polish women living in or connected to Hounslow to share their personal stories, reflect on their migration experiences, and take part in creating a powerful portrait of the local community.

Free.Her explores what freedom means to women today, through their own words, histories, and identities.

The resulting portraits were exhibited in two outdoor locations: Brentford Market (24 October) and Bell Square (25 October) and the digital portraits will then be included in the Gunnersbury Museum Hounslow Archive.

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 Future Arts Centres (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.