Hannaleah Ledwell is a multidisciplinary artist born and based in Tiohtià:ke/Montreal. Her current work focuses on intimacy, through which Ledwell seeks to convey tangible bodily sensations born of emotion. Perpetual self-observation, stemming from living with multiple chronic illnesses, informs Ledwell’s practice and gives her the capacity to recall profoundly intimate moments and sensations, through which she explores the fine line between memory and daydream.
With a BFA from Concordia university, Ledwell has exhibited in several Montreal galleries, including Galerie du Viaduc and Galerie POPOP. A recipient of a Canada Council for the Arts grant in 2023, her work has been part of Les impatiens’ exhibition-auction Parle-moi d’amour as well as Optimista: Ciné-conferences for a Hopeful Tomorrow and Art Matters Festival.

ARTIST’S STATEMENT

Using oil painting as her main medium, Ledwell examines the somatic and emotional relationship between herself and the world around her, presenting a body that is felt rather than contemplated. A living, gestural and sensual body that aims to evoke a visceral recognition in the viewer. By revealing these intimate experiences, Ledwell prompts the viewer to reflect on their own vulnerability, their own notions of intimacy, and how we all experience and share these deeply human feelings.