Following its premiere at London’s Southbank Centre, the major national photography exhibition Our Freedom: Then and Now will tour to 18 arts centres and libraries across the UK from March to October 2026, with a full online version launching on 18 March.

Marking 80 years since the end of the Second World War, the exhibition brings together images from 60 locally led projects spanning towns, cities and rural communities. The result is a vibrant, wide‑ranging portrait of people, place and belonging, capturing how communities across the UK understand and express the idea of freedom today.

Developed by Future Arts Centres and Open Eye Gallery, the exhibition forms the culmination of the national Our Freedom: Then and Now programme. Twenty‑two photographers worked closely with communities of all ages and backgrounds – from schoolchildren to veterans, and participants aged from 0 to 100 – inviting them to reflect on their own histories, experiences and identities. Each local project explored what freedom meant in 1945 and how those ideas resonate in 2026.

Programme Co‑Directors Annabel Turpin and Gavin Barlow said:

“This exhibition is the culmination of a major national project bringing together 60 communities with artists, arts centres and libraries. Twenty‑two brilliant photographers have created a diverse and fascinating set of images reflecting these communities across the country, and it’s fitting that the exhibition opens at the nation’s largest arts centre before travelling the length and breadth of the UK.”

The touring exhibition will visit locations from Exeter to Inverness, Ipswich to Belfast, ensuring that the stories, voices and perspectives captured through the programme continue to be shared nationwide. While each venue will host a different version of the exhibition, all images will be available to view in the online edition from 18 March.

Photo: Sophie Ellen Lachowycz with Colchester Arts Centre

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.

Tour dates and locations

• Southbank Centre, London (18 March – 25 April 2026)
• JW3, London (26 March – 16 April)
• Bracknell Library, Berkshire (26 March – 16 April)
• Farnham Maltings, Surrey (26 March – 16 April)
• Chesterfield Library, Derbyshire (20 April – 11 May)
• Hartlepool Community Hub and Library, County Durham (20 April – 11 May)
• ARC, Stockton on Tees (14 May – 12 June)
• Eastern Angles Centre, Ipswich (14 May – 12 June)
• Libraries Unlimited, Exeter (15 June – 10 July)
• Open Eye Gallery, Liverpool (15 June – 10 July)
• Eden Court, Inverness (13 July – 7 August)
• McKechnie Institute, South Ayrshire (13 July – 7 August)
• Barnsley Civic, South Yorkshire (10 August – 4 September)
• Leeds Central Library, West Yorkshire (10 August – 4 September)
• The Spring, Havant (7 September – 2 October)
• Storyhouse, Chester (7 September – 2 October)
• The Dukes, Lancaster (7 September – 2 October)
• Strand Arts Centre, Belfast (5 October – 30 October)
• Brewhouse Arts Centre, Burton‑on‑Trent (5 October – 30 October)