Photography exhibition, Our Freedom: Then and Now opens on 25 March 2026, marking 80 years since the end of the Second World War
An exhibition bringing together images from 60 locally led projects spanning towns, cities and rural communities across the UK, offering a nationwide portrait of people, place and belonging, is coming to London’s Southbank Centre.
Developed by Future Arts Centres and Open Eye Gallery, the exhibition forms part of the national Our Freedom: Then and Now programme. Communities of all ages and backgrounds were invited to reflect on their own histories, experiences and identities, considering what freedom meant in their place in 1945, and how those ideas resonate today.
Mark Ball, Artistic Director of the Southbank Centre, said:
“The 1951 Festival of Britain was the moment the UK transformed from post-war grey into full and glorious technicolour, establishing the Royal Festival Hall as a beacon of optimism. As we mark the 75th anniversary of the first chapter of our story, it feels right to see the work of 60 arts centres, libraries and their communities filling our site to share what freedom looks and feels like in 2026.
“Working with Future Arts Centres and Open Eye Gallery, this exhibition shows that the forward-looking energy of 1951 still pulses through our neighbourhoods today. It’s a joy to open our doors to these national voices before they head back out to tour the UK.”
A nationwide collaboration
Across the UK, the project took many different forms, from a large-scale photographic mosaic created from public submissions in Lincolnshire, to a graphic novel exploring wartime history through a coming-of-age story in Barrow-in-Furness, as well as community street parties combining music, food and performance in Colchester, among many other locally led activities.
To document these projects, 22 photographers were commissioned through the Socially Engaged Photography Network to work closely with each community. The resulting exhibition offers a rich visual record of participation and collaboration, featuring contributors ranging from schoolchildren to veterans, and participants aged from 0 to 100.
The exhibition creates a space to reflect on shared histories and collective memory, while foregrounding the role of community in shaping the freedoms experienced across the UK today.
Following its London premiere at Southbank Centre, the exhibition will tour to 17 arts centres and libraries across the UK from March to October 2026, ensuring these stories continue to be shared nationwide.
Annabel Turpin and Gavin Barlow, Programme Co-Directors of Our Freedom: Then and Now, said:
“This exhibition brings together voices from 60 communities across the UK, reflecting on freedom then and now. Opening in London gives these stories a national platform, before the exhibition travels back out across the country to the places and people at its heart.”
Our Freedom: Then and Now is delivered by Future Arts Centres in partnership with Libraries Connected, and supported using public funding by the UK Government through Arts Council England. The exhibition is produced by Future Arts Centres, Open Eye Gallery and the Socially Engaged Photography Network.
More information about the exhibition and the full list of participating photographers is available here.
