fxGems #10 ⏀ Top 117 Best Abstract Projects from Dec. 2021 - Part I
The biggest month in fx(hash) history calls for the biggest list this curation project will likely ever see. Over 3600 projects distilled down to the 121 best abstract projects from December 2021 in four parts.
fxGems is curated by Haiver. Follow on Twitter and Mastodon for recommendations, and sign up for email notifications for when a new issue drops. To support the work, collect a copy of this issue on fx(text) or past issues, or consider minting one of my generative pieces 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.
As always, this issue is available to view on fx(text), especially good for those animated pieces. And 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
SoulSea by Che-Yu Wu
Variacio by KoalaMilk
Precision: Angles by Loren Bednar
Fractures by Estienne
Shattered Moons by makio135
Hot Knife by Vince Mckelvie
Last Trip by Kali
Angular Variations (Holding Space) by Lisa Orth
Repeater by xiiixiii
Code Page 437 // Ishihara by 0x10
Rotating System 03 by Camille Roux
Ever-Evolving Truchet by Reinder Nijhoff
Perspective Headache by Estienne
Folded by AutoEclectus
Century-XXX-Metamolnar(s) by Reas
Flare by loackme
Contrast by vectorz3r0
Lucid Dream by Generalissimo
Oumuamua by 3DManatee
Arch by andre
PersianSCII by jambonbill
Above (The Infinite) by Jeff Palmer
Mainframe Overload by High Quality
Liquidity by 101010.ART
Pulsar by George Savva
Furry by bgola
Ceilings by petitsapin
Cross FXH by somaticbits
Floating Points by yuuretsu
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.