Images courtesy Ashmolean Museum.

A Nice Cup of Tea? tells the untold stories and hidden narratives of empire, trade and transatlantic slavery through a contemporary art installation inspired by the Ashmolean’s European Ceramics collection. A cup of tea represents comfort for many, but every sip connects to the legacy of the British Empire, global trade and transatlantic slavery. The fashion for drinking sweetened tea from China inspired the luxury tea sets in Ashmolean’s European Ceramics Gallery. Behind this wealth was the brutal exploitation of enslaved people producing sugar in the West Indies.

Made in collaboration with sculptor Lois Muddiman the artwork took inspiration from Ashmolean's ceramics collection while also speaking to the tea trade's dark past. The installation amplifies the stories, lives and resilience of Oxford’s Windrush generation and African Caribbean community, many of whom have family links to the transatlantic slave trade. Throughout the process, students from the University of Oxford, alongside the Ashmolean museum team, and community group BK LUWO actively engaged in elements of the work. The museum installation wass completed with stunning portraits taken by photographer Fran Monks and an audio recording were local residents from the African Caribbean community share anecdotes of their lives in England.