With amazing sleight of hand and brilliant misdirection, travelling magician Alejandro Leonian from Argentina delights people at the Blender Lane Artists market. He’s been in Melbourne for a little under a month and has been entertaining people on the streets with his unique blend of magic and humor. It’s the second time he’s visited Australia. He’s going to be touring here until April when he’ll pack up his table and tricks and head to Japan for the first time.

“This is a very enjoyable city. The people, the business. Everything is good,” he says shortly after wowing me by making coins appear and disappear under cards on his table. Street performers do very well in Melbourne, and that was the reputation that bought him here in the first place. However, as you might expect, magic isn’t a job for Alejandro, it’s very clearly an art form and a passion for him.

“Ever since I was a young boy I was addicted to magic,” he says as he shuffles a deck of cards and prepares for another trick. People stand back at first, but he draws them in closer, getting them to pick a card, inspect things, or watch closely as he performs his tricks. The faces of those watching are almost as entertaining as he is. Their expressions of confusion and disbelief transform into smiles and excitement as they delight in his trickery.

No stranger to travel, Alejandro tours the world for anywhere between six to nine months of the year. He’s been a magician for about 15 years and his craft has taken him throughout Europe, Canada, the United States, and Brazil. As he smiles and laughs with his audience it’s clear to see that he enjoys the life of a traveling magician, a life that he says has given him many stories and experiences.

“I’m making less money than my friends, but I am rich in experiences. I’m a millionaire in experiences, and I really value that. Maybe one day I will stop traveling and say I am done? Maybe, I don’t know,” he says as he unwraps a new deck of cards that he shuffles then puts to his nose to smell. “Hmmmm… You have to love that ‘new cards’ smell,” he says. It’s a comment that gets a laugh from the people watching, and with that, the magic continues.

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See a Youtube video of Alejandro performing his magic on the streets of Melbourne.