Tea is a way of sharing time—a gentle social force that transcends class, era, and culture.
This exhibition takes “the social relations formed between teacups” as its guiding thread.
It shows how afternoon tea in Britain has changed over time.
— Giving people a reason to sit down and enter into conversation;
— Creating spaces where people can build relationships.
—They can show who they are, share ideas, and stay close while having small snacks and drinks.
Image reference: A Family Being Served With Tea, unknown artist, c.1745, oil on canvas, Yale Center for British Art, B1981.25.271. Available from: https://artuk.org/discover/artworks/a-family-being-served-with-tea-246053/view_as/grid/search/2025–keyword:tea–licence:2pd–referrer:global-search/page/1
Curators:
Linhui Shi, Yixue Zhong, Minrui Li, Jing Wu
From MA Art Gallery and Museum Studies, MA Art Management and Heritage Studies, University of Leeds