Messy Beautiful explore notions of collective shame and desire, giving voice to the more unconscious parts of Ledwich's psyche. With much of her work drawing from themes of perversity and pleasure, she seeks to find a productive tension in the space between desire and the taboo to create work that is both erotic and visceral. The glossy and hyper-saturated images draw on the aesthetics and codes used in advertising, to display subject matter such as flowers, food, and the female body. Ultimately, Jessica is interested in exploring the ambiguity and complexity of the emotions of female desire and pleasure. Ledwich's practice is very performative as she seeks to arouse sensations as both part of the creation of the work and in the viewer of the image itself. Turning the gaze on herself I take power through the interplay of my body and elements of nature to revel in the ‘messiness’ of the human experience. Liquids glimmering on the surface, sticky petals enclosing the female flesh, and wet organic matter appear gruesome and appealing at the same time. Constructing work that is exploring contrasts in various ways: visual, conceptual, material and thematic Ledwich aims to ultimately create a celebration of femininity.

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