Magic as a Crime Scene: The World of Illusion According to Jeanette Andrews
Andrews will perform at the HCL Fall Benefit on Nov. 10. Tickets now on presale.
What do we mean when we say magic? For artist and magician Jeanette Andrews, magic is more than a series of tricks shrouded in showmanship and dazzle. She likes to think of magic like the German magician Topas— as a crime scene.
“In Plain Listen” | Photo by Elinor Kry for Document Journal
The magician can assume three roles in this framework: the killer, the victim, or the witness. The killer is a cunning and mysterious character, pulling puppet strings and putting on a show; the victim is a comedic take on the role, bumbling and surprised by the magic that seems to be happening to them; and the witness acts as a bystander, carefully observing and reporting on the magic as it happens. Andrews characterizes herself as the least common of the three— the witness. Rather than standing center stage with metaphoric dagger in hand, or playing the fool incredulous to each seeming impossibility, she carefully coexists with and interrogates a constructed experience alongside her audience. Andrews manages to position herself as less of a showman and more of a scientist or philosopher. For this rare and unconventional magician, the philosophical questions that hide behind each trick may be more important than the illusion itself.
“The Mental Architecture of Magic” | Photo by Isabelle Grybow
Performances by this self-described experimental illusionist span the likes of prestigious institutions such as Harvard, Yale, SFMoMA, the MCA, and none other than High Concept Labs— where she expanded her experimental practice through our artist residency program. Hailed by the New York Times, PBS, the Chicago Tribune, and Artnet, Andrews is subtly shifting today’s performance art landscape. Audiences, academies, and artist communities are increasingly investing in this burgeoning class of magic as an artistic medium. One where the audience is an unsuspecting co-author, and the trick is not merely the performance of the impossible— but a questioning of why we love to believe in the impossible to begin with.
“The Mental Architecture of Magic” | Photo by Ahmed Kahn
“The Attention” | Photo courtesy of Derrick Belcham
If these questions intrigue you as they do us, you may be interested in exploring her solo show at the Elmhurst Art Museum, On Wonder, Mind, and Magic, closing this Sunday, August 23rd! You are likewise invited to follow along as we explore the world of magic according to Jeanette Andrews over the coming months, in preparation for her HCL lecture-performance on Sunday, November 10th, 2026. Don’t forget to subscribe so you don’t miss out on the next installment, and purchase presale tickets here at a discounted rate through September 15th.
“Taken by Artificial Surprise” | Photo courtesy of Derrick Belcham
Article by Max Collins
