fxGems #13 ⏀ Top 117 Best Abstract Projects from Dec. 2021 - Part IV
Our journey through the best abstract art from December 2021 comes to a close this week. I hope you found some unexpected pairings that helped you see familiar work anew, and discovered some hidden gems to fall in love with.
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.
Murmurations by Camille Roux
Maze by Yi-Wen Lin
Distorted.Areas by markknol
HINC / Fragmentophillia III by Aevin
Growth v01 by flight404
Follow The Map by cbrpnk
Smooth Chaos by Victor Doval
Planets by n43art
Hatchbeats by Alex Bainter
Waves by zao_
Mimetic 2 by Liam Egan
Geometric Motion by wwatkns
Returns by Leander Herzog
Blotz by Harry Isaac
Uninhabitable by IskraVelitchkova
Reflection 2 by Chris Randall
Sand Evanescent v1 by nudoru
Unfolded by larswander
Farbteiler by Erik Swahn
Prospettive Astratte 01a by 111v1ab
Truth by __øva__
Winter Jacket by Lisa Orth
The Sign Of A Generative Civilization by x0y0z0
Simple Patterns 2 by Estienne
Terrace Tiles by P1x3lboy
Artbox by Dsims
Tegodego Flow Maps Generator by Tego Dego Gen
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.