Jesse Magee

. Dead ends and destinations float glass, spring steel 80 x 30 x 1,5 cm 2025 What seems to differentiate a destination from a dead-end in general usage is intention. A destination is where you want to end up, a dead-end is not. Following this, one person’s destination can be another’s dead-end. Any path taken to its utmost point will be a dead-end but, possibly, also a destination. This work was created within the framework of my PhD research at @pxlmad_finearts and @Uhasselt with @pxlmad_glass This practice led research through art was generously funded by the @alexander.tutsek.stiftung #traps #finearts #sculpture #glassart #artisticresearch

. Bells tarnished sterling silver 2 x 20 x 6 cm 2023 There is a wealth of research about how to make the right choices, a lot of it based on logical assessment and avoiding errors. It is more difficult to find anything written on why people make poor choices. This is probably the result of it being hard to define what exactly qualifies as a poor choice. A bad decision in one circumstance could be a good one in another and a situation that would be terrible for one person might be perfectly acceptable to someone else. Rationality and logical decisions offer us the “right choice” based on the certain criteria such as self-preservation or potential gain. Adhering to “rational” choices, however, puts a limit on the amount of options available. Freedom, the ceaselessly boasted core value of western society, must therefore incorporate the autonomy to make very poor (nonrational) choices. We might ask ourselves when it is sensible to act contrary to sensibility. Images and text © Jesse Magee, 2025 This work was created within the framework of my PhD research at @pxlmad_finearts and @Uhasselt with @pxlmad_glass and @objectandjewellery_pxlmad This practice led research through art was generously funded by the @alexander.tutsek.stiftung #traps #finearts #sculpture #artisticresearch #silver #925 #sterlingsilver #working925

. Pocket trap stainless steel 6 x 6 x 0,3 cm + chain 2024 Morbid curiosity is described as a “phenomenon characterized by ‘wanting’ … as opposed to ‘liking’” (Oosterwijk, 2017, p. 3). A series of studies done in 2016 demonstrated that normal healthy adults will choose to make themselves progressively unhappier simply to satisfy their curiosity (Hsee, & Ruan, 2016). With the vast quantity of knowledge constantly accessible via the internet it is discomforting to think that our human brains are hardwired to want information whether we actually like having it or not. Researchers believe that the reward structures of our human minds have developed so that they treat the acquisition of information the same as any other valued good and that we make risky choices because these can provide us with novel information. Where the motivating factor for acquiring information would logically be to identify food sources, avoid danger, etc., our minds instead reward the attainment of information even when this information is discernably useless (Kidd & Hayden, 2015). Taken together these findings might go a long way to explaining why people seem so inclined toward making poor choices. Images and text © Jesse Magee, 2025 This work was created within the framework of my PhD research at @pxlmad_finearts and @Uhasselt with @pxlmad_glass and @objectandjewellery_pxlmad This practice led research through art was generously funded by the @alexander.tutsek.stiftung

. Navigation tool Teak wood, antique logging hook 10 x 200 x 5 cm 2024 It is possible to navigate a labyrinth, or a labyrinth of roads, by knowing which paths not to take. A simple mark on the drawing is enough to denote a turn that you should not take. The same information can be marked with notches on a rod. The rod itself then represents the path to the goal and the grooves cut into the rod denote paths that should not be taken. A notch on the top of the rod, for example, means that, at this juncture, the path that is furthest to the left will lead to a dead end. If we run our fingers along both sides of the rod, we will experience the subtle vibration of fingers along smooth wood punctuated by the rhythm of the notches. This will tell you which direction to take at any crossing. It is not so different to running your hands along both walls of a labyrinth and here and there encountering the break of an intersecting passage. Images and text © Jesse Magee, 2025 This work was created within the framework of my PhD research at @pxlmad_finearts and @Uhasselt with @pxlmad_glass . This practice led research through art was generously funded by the @alexander.tutsek.stiftung #traps #finearts #sculpture #artisticresearch

. Labyrinth solution I welded stainless steel 50 x 200 x 0,5 cm 2024 W.H. Matthews offers us a beautiful way of mapping labyrinths: the straight-line diagram. In such a diagram the central line represents the most direct route to the goal. That is to say that if you laid out a thread along the most direct path to the goal (as Theseus is supposed to have done in the Minotaur’s labyrinth) and then pulled that thread into a straight line, you would have the central line of this diagram. The lines that diverge from both sides of this line denote all the dead ends. A line diverging up, for example, means that, at this juncture, the path that is furthest to the left will lead to a dead end. If there is no path to the left but only one that goes straight and one that turns right, then the one that goes straight is the path furthest left and therefore a dead end. It is possible to use this diagram as a map to navigate the maze it represents. It can also be used as a model to think about research, education and artistic strategies. Images and text © Jesse Magee, 2025 This work was created within the framework of my PhD research at @pxlmad_finearts and @Uhasselt with @pxlmad_glass and @objectandjewellery_pxlmad This practice led research through art was generously funded by the @alexander.tutsek.stiftung #traps #finearts #sculpture #artisticresearch

. Being held Cast glass, concrete, steel, hemp rope 140 x 24 x 18 cm 2024 “Holding” carries contradictory associations. To hold means to stop, restrict and obstruct; to keep someone from moving, and to stop their progression. To hold someone is also to carry them, to keep them safe, to keep them from falling. One person holding you can give you the feeling of safety and comfort, while someone else holding you in the exact same manner could make you feel trapped or threatened. Consider the difference between your mother holding you when you were scared versus them holding on to you because they are scared for you. Where is the difference between your lover holding you when you get off a plane and them holding you when you need to get on one? Images and text © Jesse Magee, 2025 This work was created within the framework of my PhD research at @pxlmad_finearts and @Uhasselt with @pxlmad_glass This practice led research through art was generously funded by the @alexander.tutsek.stiftung #traps #finearts #sculpture #glassart #artisticresearch

Showing a new work in this show with some other great artists in Saarbrucken. 21.06. – 27.07.2024 Vernissage: Friday June 21, 2024 18:00 – 21:00 Thank you @bodokorsig for the invitation! Die von Bodo Korsig kuratierte Ausstellung zeigt in den Räumen der Gallery Puzić Werke von 18 internationalen Künstlern, die jeweils unterschiedliche Übergänge thematisieren, und bietet einen umfassenden Einblick in die Komplexität des Übergangs. Diese Ausstellung erkundet die vielfältigen Aspekte der Thematik "LOST IN TRANSITION" und die damit verbundenen emotionalen, kulturellen und gesellschaftlichen Auswirkungen. Markus Strieder (Frankreich), Shingo Francis (Japan), Asae Soya (Japan), Jesse Magee (USA), Carol Robertson (England), Mansour Ciss Kanakassy (Senegal), Marlies Liekfeld-Rapetti (Österreich), Renate Krammer (Österreich), Chikako Kato (Japan), Martha Keller (USA), Trevor Sutton (England), Tanja Prušnik (Österreich), Cristina Barroso (Brasilien), Maruša Štibelj (Slowenien) Peter Wayne Lewis (USA), Suyoung Kim (Korea), Jürgen Paas (Deutschland), Dirk Salz (Deutschland), Klemen Brun (Slowenien) Gallery Puzić Johannisstrasse 3A, 66111 Saarbrücken Dauer der Ausstellung: 21.06. – 27.07.2024

Open call for AC Wolfgangsee! Open to artists from anywhere working in any medium. Residency period: April 27 - May 6, 2024 Apply by December 17th! Swipe for pictures from the last residency. Link to application form in bio.

Atelier David Gotlib Korte Klarenstraat 9 2000 Antwerp - The exhibition unites eight researchers and artists affiliated with PXL-MAD School of Arts Hasselt, Belgium. Although their topics and methodologies are very diverse, they share ways of reflecting on the process of making and on artistic research as such. Through experimental and interdisciplinary research, they delve into the contemporary realms of jewellery and body-related objects, blurring the boundaries between fine art and the ‘objet d’art’. This exploration leads to (re)interpretations and (re)translations of traditional artistic forms and concepts. During this process, the body often acts as a provider of meaning, a carrier of tacit knowledge or specific memories. As such, the intention of this exhibition is not only to contribute to the ongoing debate on research in the arts, but also to provide new impulses, particularly within the field of contemporary jewellery and objects. The title of the exhibition was gratefully borrowed from Rutger Kopland’s collection of poems, published in 1972. Exhibiting artists: Patrícia Domingues Jesse Magee Anneleen Swillen Maria Konschake Charlotte Vanhoubroeck Joani Groenewald Madeli Viljoen Liesbet Bussche 🟣 OBSESSED!JewelleryFestivalfocusesonjewellery-relatedexhibitions,lectures,workshops and open studios—in a programme put together by Current Obsession. 
 OBSESSED! runs 1—30 November in various cities across the Netherlands and Belgium, accompanied by a free edition of Current Obsession Paper and an interactive webpage. obsessedwithjewellery.com #obsessedwithjewellery #obsessed23

Mutterboden Earth fired to 1200°C 2019 -> This sculpture consisting of two 1x1 meter blocks of vitrified earth is now permanently installed in the exterior space of a privat collection. Here they will be exposed to the elements until they are reclaimed by the soil beneath them. We do not know how long that will take, and I am very happy to have found collectors willing to accompany this process with me. I will document the work as it progresses. #jessemagee #art #sculpture #outdoorsculpture #earthart #earth #mutterboden #burntearth #vitrified #reclaim #backtoearth #soil #jessemageeart

From April 15-23, 2023 I organized this residency in St Wolfgang, AT together with @klemen_brun 17 Artists from around the world 10 days of making art 4⭐️ hotels as hosts @art_circle_international is a NPO based in Slovenia that I have been working with since 2017. We specialize in short intense art residencies for professional artists. Our aims are offering an inspirational experience for artists while bringing contemporary art to non-urban regions. Check out @art_circle_international for a lot more photos of the whole program. @cortisenamsee @hotelpeter_wolfgangsee @hotelmargaretha @seevillawolfgangsee @wolfgangsee #sagtpaulzupeter #strandhotelmargaretha #cortisenamsee #seevillawolfgangsee #artresidency #artcirclewolfgangsee #artcircleinternational #wolfgangsee

Happy new year everyone! 🎇🔆 - Relief print, oil on cotton rag Edition of 60 17.1 x 11.7 cm 2022 - @manufracture_research @objectandjewellery_pxlmad #pxlmadschoolofarts #pxlmad #manufracture #metal #uhasselt #art #artresearch #traps #arttrap #kunst #jessemagee #cage #wiretrap #fingertrap #sculpture #miniature #jessemageeart #fallen #settingtraps #aesthetictrap #miniaturesculpture