Sentire: You Are The April Sky : Female Artists

Upsilon Gallery, London is delighted to announce Sentire: You Are the April Sky, anexhibitioncelebrating the work ofsixextraordinary international female artists, which will runfrom 9 April–31 May.The exhibition revolves around the concept of an ephemeral moment;afleeting second that encapsulates the essence of the feminine experience.Artworks byAvaGrauls, Diane Chappalley, Epona Smith, Evie Mae Jacobs, Guan GuanandHannahLimshiftbetween abstraction and figuration, exploring the delicate balance between intuition,corporeality, perception, and identity.At the heart of this exhibition is the word ‘sentire’ (to feel), as defined by Italian writer and poetAlda Merini-a direct and deeply intimate experience of existence, often in contrast to theexternal world, yet inseparably connected to it. Lin Huiyin’s poetry, "You Are the April Sky in ThisWorld," speaks of the woman as a force of renewal, warmth, and intuition-further echoing theconcept of Upsilon’s Spring exhibition.

Each artwork displayedin this group showis a fragment of this moment—where a woman,through her sensitivity and intuition, reconnects with her surroundings, emotions, and body.‘Sentire’is never detached from the body; it is through corporeality that feminine intuitionmanifests, finding its own space and time in the world.

The Poems that Inspired the Show:

I like the verb “to feel”

I like the verb “to feel”...

To feel the sound of the sea,

to feel its scent.

To feel the rain’s sound as it wets your lips,to feel a pen tracing feelings on a blank page.

To feel the scent of the one you love,to hear their voiceand to feel them with your heart.

To feel is the verb of emotions,you lie down on the back of the worldand you feel..

Alda Merini (1931-2009), renowned Italian writer and poet.

You Are the April Sky in This World

"You are the blooming trees in spring,

The swallows whispering under the eaves-

You are love, warmth, and hope,

You are the April sky in this world."

LinHuiyin/林徽因(1904-1955), the first female architect in modern China,writer,and poet.

About theArtists:

Ava Grauls (b.1982) is a South African / Belgian artist based in London. Her work exploresspeculative questions regarding nationalised legitimacy, cultural legacy, and environmental influences on identity from a geographic perspective. Her practice is predominantly painting andperformance. Grauls was born in South Africa during apartheid. Her family moved to Belgiumwhen she was a child and further relocated to a British asbestos mine in Eswatini. Her practicehas been shaped by these experiences, directing her to question forms of influence andeducation that manage memory. Her paintings are abstracted from her research into the historyof countries and the map-makers that have come to dominate these spaces. Grauls’ paintingsand films have been exhibited in London, Scotland, Lisbon and Japan. 

Diane Chappalley (b.1991) was bornin Switzerlandandlives and works in London. Shecreatesfigurative landscapes in oil paint as well as ceramic sculptures that draw on transitionalexperiences of death and birth, loss and love, trauma and resilience. She addresses themes thatare both personal and inherently universal. In her large canvases, among vast washes of coloursthat suggest both soil and skin tones, the human figures are still-as if they are carved from stone;statues lost in time. Diane Chappalley's sculptures, deeply personal and evocative, draw upon the rich symbolism ofthe Sacred Heart to narrate her journey as a mother confronting her child's congenital heartcondition. The Sacred Heart, a central symbol in Christian iconography, represents profoundlove, compassion, and enduring suffering. By integrating this emblem into her work,Chappelleychannels her intimate experiences, transforming personal adversity into universal expressionsof hope and resilience. Her art stands as atestament to the enduring power of maternal love,intertwining personal narrative with a potent symbol deeply rooted in Catholic tradition.

Epona Smith (b.1990) is a jewellery designer and hand engraver. Each engraving carries therhythm of tradition, blending European craftsmanship with an Asian sensibility, where every marktells a quiet yet powerful story. Epona's engraving is a dialogue between past and present.Inspired by the fluidity of calligraphic strokes and the depth of Florentine ornamentation, herwork reimagines silver as a vessel of cultural storytelling. "My work is not only to integrate thebeauty of European and Asian cultures, but also to rede fine the way of storytelling of traditionalculture and create a new aesthetic."

Evie Mae Jacobs (b.1995) is a Fine Artist based in London. With a vivid colour palette and softbrushwork her compositions are often characterised by a sense of stillness and nostalgia. Byleaning into materiality, Evie’s paintings are an immersive interaction between texture, sensationand human connection. She presents an observational stance at intimacy and aloneness, withfigures that may be sharing a tender moment or are by themselves, lost in thought.

Yingqi Guan / Guan Guan (b.1997) is aLondon-based artist and contemporary jewellery curatorwhose practice encompasses sculpture, installation, performance art, and contemporaryjewellery. Her work is distinguished by its critical narratives and visual tension, often delving intosocial, corporeal, cultural, and feminist themes through meticulous craftsmanship, darkhumour, and monumental scales. She possesses a keen ability to observe everyday objects, reinterpreting them into a uniquevisual language that results in dramatic, exaggerated forms. In 2022, Guan earned her Master'sdegree from the Royal College of Art's Jewellery & Metal programme. The following year, sheestablished her London-based studio, "eye爱I". Her creative philosophy centres on three coreconcepts: eye (observation), love (emotion), and I (subjective consciousness). Throughsculpture, installation, and contemporary jewellery,she continues to engage with the modernera, offering critical reflection and cultural commentary.

Hannah Lim (b. 1998)'s artistic practice is deeply influenced by her mixed Singaporean andBritish heritage, leading her to explore the colonial connotations inherent in the relationshipbetween East and West. Her research and creative endeavours engage with themes such asOrientalism and its connection to Chinoiserie-an 18th-century aesthetic movement whereelements of Chinese design were reinterpreted to suit European tastes. Lim aims to reimagineand reclaim designs associated with Chinoiserie, transforming them from their historicallyproblematic colonial undertones into shared cultural expressions. Through her work, Lim invitesviewers to reconsider historical narratives and encourages a dialogue that respects andcelebrates the complexities of cultural exchange. 

Event Details:

Exhibition: Sentire: You Are the April Sky

Date: 9 April to 31 May 2025

Venue: 64 Grosvenor Street, W1K 3JH, London

Time: Monday to Saturday 10-6pm (Monday by appointment)

Opening reception:16 April2025,6-8pm

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For media enquiries, contact

Caroline Collett PR Ltd - antonia@carolinecollettpr.com

Evangeline Li,Upsilon Gallery | Director-Exhibition and Special Projects -eva@upsilongallery.com

About Upsilon Gallery

Founded in 2016 by Marcelo Zimmler in New York City, Upsilon Gallery is a leading internationalart gallery specialising in post-war and contemporary art. With two spaces in New York–one agallery and one a by-appointment office-plus an office in Miami, Upsilon Gallery opened in theheart of Mayfair, London in the summer of 2024.

With its focus both on international postwar and contemporary artists, Upsilon’s guiding missionis to feature a variety of innovative perspectives and approaches, including the rediscovery ofoverlooked artists set within an art-historical context. Shapedby the diverse artists on its roster,Upsilon Gallery represents a content-rich platform for a balanced audience of novice andseasoned collectors, offering a critically engaging but approachable and friendly attitude to alllovers of art. The Gallery embraces new technologies to deliver the highest levels of serviceacross its physical and digital channels. As a leading fine print publisher, Upsilon alsocollaborates with leading printing ateliers to introduce new voices to the art world.

www.upsilongallery.com