Published 2023-02-23
fxGems #13 ⏀ Top 117 Best Abstract Projects from Dec. 2021 - Part IV
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.
Murmurations by Camille Roux
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Maze by Yi-Wen Lin
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Distorted.Areas by markknol
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HINC / Fragmentophillia III by Aevin
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Growth v01 by flight404
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Follow The Map by cbrpnk
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Smooth Chaos by Victor Doval
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Planets by n43art
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Hatchbeats by Alex Bainter
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Waves by zao_
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Mimetic 2 by Liam Egan
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Geometric Motion by wwatkns
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Returns by Leander Herzog
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Blotz by Harry Isaac
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Uninhabitable by IskraVelitchkova
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Reflection 2 by Chris Randall
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Sand Evanescent v1 by nudoru
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Unfolded by larswander
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Farbteiler by Erik Swahn
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Prospettive Astratte 01a by 111v1ab
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Truth by __øva__
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Winter Jacket by Lisa Orth
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The Sign Of A Generative Civilization by x0y0z0
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Simple Patterns 2 by Estienne
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Terrace Tiles by P1x3lboy
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Artbox by Dsims
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Tegodego Flow Maps Generator by Tego Dego Gen
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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.