Powerful exhibition gives voice to women's experiences of migration, identity and self-determination.
Date: 12 December
London Metropolitan University's Dr Anna Jochymek brought powerful portraits of Polish women to the streets of Brentford and Hounslow this October, transforming public squares into open-air galleries.
Free.Her showcased large-scale photographs at Brentford Market Place (24 October) and Bell Square, Hounslow (25 October), giving voice to women's experiences of migration, identity and self-determination.
"These are voices rarely heard, yet they speak powerfully of resilience, transformation and what freedom means," said Anna. "By bringing these portraits into public spaces, I wanted people to engage with the lived experiences of women in their own community."
Twenty local Polish women participated, each choosing how to be portrayed and sharing reflections on their journey to the UK. Their stories, collected in collaboration with Anna, created an intimate yet collective portrait of Polish womanhood abroad.
Malwina, one participant, reflected: "Here, I feel truly free. No one dictates my life. I can follow what my heart tells me. I've always carried the spirit of a community worker within me. For me, freedom is the conscious choice of my path and the courage to follow it."
Pioneering research
Anna is a Polish-born artist, ethnographer and Postdoctoral Research Assistant at London Met's School of Social Sciences and Professions. Free.Her emerged from "Everyday Transnationalism of the Right," a pioneering UKRI-funded research project developed with colleagues Professor Michał P. Garapich and Professor Rafał Soborski.
The exhibition was part of Our Freedom: Then and Now, a national programme marking the 80th anniversary of the end of the Second World War. Supported by Arts Council England and the UK Government, the initiative featured 60 creative projects exploring contemporary understandings of freedom.
The portraits will be archived at Gunnersbury Museum, preserving these local voices for future generations.
More information: watermans.org.uk and ourfreedom.org.uk
