fxGems #10 ⏀ Top 117 Best Abstract Projects from Dec. 2021 - Part I
written by Haiver
fxGems is curated by Haiver. Follow on Twitter and Mastodon for recommendations, and sign up for email notifications on Substack for when a new issue drops. To support the work, collect a copy of this issue or past issues, or consider minting one of my generative pieces here on fx(hash).
Minimal or maximalist, gestural or clinical, conceptual or emotionally ekphrastic — abstract art is a large umbrella to describe a wide variety of work. It can give voice to the maelstrom or bring order to chaos, leave you cold or get under your skin.
This four part series of issues exploring abstract work from December 2021 is my favorite list yet, full of instant classics destined for museum walls. From William Mapan’s Dragons to makio135’s Shattered Moons and Lisa Orth’s Angular Variations (Holding Space), these are projects that will resound far beyond their digital renown.
It was a joy to find ways to put these pieces side by side in the same issue and watch a new resonance materialize from thin air. There’s a latent power in juxtaposition; a magic not yet manifest until you place the works on a wall together — it’s why I love curating so much.
I hope you find some work you love too!
It's important to note that fxGems is not a ranked list. One part of good curation is putting pieces in conversation with one another, so each numbered mint featured here has been carefully selected, then ordered into groups of twos and threes to create a dialogue between the different projects. There are juxtapositions and echoes, recurring themes and visual motifs. A thread has been woven throughout. How it draws you from one project to the next is up to you to find.
If you're looking for more recommendations, check out the representational Best of Lists, the four part abstract Best of List, and the multiple issues gathering all of the many Honorable Mentions, covering December 2021.
Dragons by williamapan
project name project name project name
SoulSea by Che-Yu Wu
project name project name project name
Variacio by KoalaMilk
project name project name project name
Precision: Angles by Loren Bednar
project name project name project name
Fractures by Estienne
project name project name project name
Shattered Moons by makio135
project name project name project name
Hot Knife by Vince Mckelvie
project name project name project name
Last Trip by Kali
project name project name project name
Angular Variations (Holding Space) by Lisa Orth
project name project name project name
Repeater by xiiixiii
project name project name project name
Code Page 437 // Ishihara by 0x10
project name project name project name
Rotating System 03 by Camille Roux
project name project name project name
Ever-Evolving Truchet by Reinder Nijhoff
project name project name project name
Perspective Headache by Estienne
project name project name project name
Folded by AutoEclectus
project name project name project name
Century-XXX-Metamolnar(s) by Reas
project name project name project name
Flare by loackme
project name project name project name
Contrast by vectorz3r0
project name project name project name
Lucid Dream by Generalissimo
project name project name project name
Oumuamua by 3DManatee
project name project name project name
Arch by andre
project name project name project name
PersianSCII by jambonbill
project name project name project name
Above (The Infinite) by Jeff Palmer
project name project name project name
Mainframe Overload by High Quality
project name project name project name
Liquidity by 101010.ART
project name project name project name
Pulsar by George Savva
project name project name project name
Furry by bgola
project name project name project name
Ceilings by petitsapin
project name project name project name
Cross FXH by somaticbits
project name project name project name
Floating Points by yuuretsu
project name project name project name
fxGems is not affiliated with fx(hash) or fx(text) (hence the lack of parentheses), and none of the recommendations herein should be construed as financial advice. We’re here to celebrate the art!
Each month I go one by one through all of the projects that dropped on fx(hash) to find the strongest, most compelling work — generative art that has a unique voice, a wide variety across its many mints, and an intriguing approach to algorithms and technique.