Yasmin Jahan Nupur – ’Let me get you a nice cup of tea...’ | Tate

Sit down with the artist Yasmin Jahan Nupur and a cup of tea, and discover the drink’s complex history in this unique performance work. Nupur invites us into what appears to be a cosy domestic space. However, its colonial-era style evokes histories of violence in South Asia. The tablecloth is embroidered with an 1886 map of the British Empire. The napkins are stitched with opium flowers, a crop that farmers were forced to grow by the British East India Company, often for no profit. The artist herself wears a costume combining traditional Bangladeshi and British elements. On the walls are images of tea bushes, applied with a mixture of sugar and tea. While emphasising the comforting role of tea- drinking in Britain and South Asia, the work also asks us to reflect on the impact of British imperialism and colonialism. Subscribe for weekly films: