fxGems #15 ⏀ Representational Honorable Mentions from Dec. 2021 - Part II
One thing that can get lost in the generative art movement's current push for serious platforms and gallery exhibition is a sense of lighthearted fun. So here is another batch of playful honorable mentions to tickle and delight :)
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).
With 3622 projects released in December 2021, it's impossible for every good generative art project to fit in the fxGems Best of Lists for abstract and representational art, so the Honorable Mentions was born. And there are many possible reasons a project ended up in the Honorable Mentions instead of on a Best of List. There wasn't enough variety across the minted pieces, or some of the layouts were strong but other mints could have used more self-awareness between their parts. The piece was well executed but lacked originality, or the piece was original but lacked execution. Or there were a limited number of color palettes when the project would have really shone with a few more.
Or perhaps the artist still has room to grow, but we should start rooting for them now. The algorithm needed to be pushed further, techniques stacked together, or the process used made less obvious (I'm looking at you flow fields). Or they're using a library with such a distinctive look, like Hydra, that the project struggles to stand out from the crowd. And then there are the artists who had a stronger piece make the fxGems Best of List this month and we're trying to spread the love around instead of having the same few names appear repeatedly at the top (but don't want you to miss a very fun piece either!).
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.
Bougainvillea by gpitombo
Arbour by orbitanaut
Kosmotomi by lomz
Pico Toads by carson
tiredEyes by thingticketNFT
Shield Fives by Phenomena
Counting On One Or More Hands by davidlu
Jellyfish by Alan Smithee
Not Your Average Space Invader by patxol
Gen DOS Punk by illusion
Beautiful People by Diego de los Campos
Crew of the Nebulous Foam Toad by Geoffrey Crayon
Lakeside by TeNinEight
Imaginary Cities by r1b2
Minimal Landscapes by Estienne
Flower by yoanngueny
Fractal Forest by grodarh
Florasphere1 by Ed Cavett
WORMS / Flocking Tribes by Aevin
Cryptals by Dorian Lods
MonoSynth: V-MI XL++ 002 by Tinker's Meta Instrument Shop
Rubik's Cube by Yi-Wen Lin
Art History Class, Part 1 by M:Fused
Cute Matryoshka Doll Cupcake Series by wasntmeow
Tiki Totem by Geomi
Wyverns Are Real! by Gen_Doodler
Medieval Village by Waxhead
CMYK:Split by nor44
Fluidynamix - Photofit by Simon Colton
Hash_Monsret by dcRay
Zeno Potions by Zenobyl
Digital Gothic: Holy Shit by akizuki
Turdz! by Sh!g
Candle in the Light Breeze by Kusamehewa
Undiscovered Realms by Carson
Decree by anon
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.