Artist Richard Slee (b. 1946 Cumbria, UK) is one of the most influential ceramic artists in Britain. His latest installation, showcased at Hales Gallery London, is a large ceramic archipelago consisting of 408 miniature islands.
The lighting in the gallery creates the illusion of a perpetually sunny day, illuminating the smooth and vibrant glazed surfaces of the ceramic islands. At first glance, it looks like a conveyor belt of rainbow-colored cakes, but upon closer inspection, one can see the intricate details of the colorful ceramic islands, complete with trees, wheat stalks, and mythical creatures such as unicorns and lions.
The bright and cheery colors make everything appear cute and idyllic, like a miniature utopia with a clear blue sky and an everlasting sun.
"We see no detail, we see no hard definition, all is melted into haze. We have, as it were, the vista of a sunlit upland, and all the joy that a vista can give is ours," Slee quoted. "I know, however, that this is only the necessary optimism of our minds, enabling us to imagine that the future will be better than the past or present."
Later, this quote was used as a political ideology by Churchill, as a promise of a better tomorrow.
Slee explains, "Because we are promised an unrealistic future full of endless beauty, it is our duty to imagine it."
Through this piece, Slee explores the concept of "sunlit uplands," which refers to a utopian landscape imagined as a promise of a better future. This phrase is often used in political ideologies. In 1940, Churchill used the phrase in his speech "This was their finest hour," where he quoted H.G. Wells' "The Discovery of the Future," saying, "If we can stand up to him, all Europe may be free and the life of the world may move forward into broad, sunlit uplands." Today, this phrase is associated with the promises of Brexit. As Slee explains, "When we are promised an extremely bright future full of sunshine, it is our duty to imagine it."
This term was also used by Andrea Leadsom during her failed bid for Prime Minister in 2016, and by Jacob Rees-Mogg in 2019, who said, "As it will become an Act, we will leave the EU by October 31st and go on to the broad sunlit uplands (sunlituplands) waiting for us."
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