fxGems #5 ⏀ Abstract Honorable Mentions from Nov. 2021 - Part II
The final list looking back at the first three weeks of fx(hash) with thirty-two pieces well worth your time. What a history-making first month! And what an incredible community that grew up around this nascent platform ❤️
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 1859 projects released in November 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 and abstract Best of Lists, as well as the many Honorable Mentions, covering November 2021.
WTRFL by Lolo Armdz
Landfall by 3DManatee
Circles by Yi-Wen Lin
CD-RandOM by meodai
Generotique by StrangerintheQ
Sticky Circles by loackme
Monochrome Kaleido by TeNinEight
Orbital by AlexandreRangel
Cellular Canvas by nicthib
Morse/·- ·-· - by neophob
stre4kout by d0n.xyz
What's Your Unknown Pleasures? by AI_is_Love_NFT
Vertex Waves by halfbakedstuff
Reverse by Alvis_lee
Sand Waves by Damien Mortini
Drip by andre
Maale-Witz by Antti Pussinen
Albersquares by flightdelay
Zhi (ਜ਼੍ਹੀ) by vrnv
Marea by esnho
Circa November 2021 by clayheaton
Stains by Unruly Unroll
The Mysterious Cities of Gold by 0xm4_0
Mechanical Organism by David González
Pegs In Motion by devnull
Sashiko ^ . ! - * ▪️ by Gyo
Window by Damien Seguin
Mosaique by phil_osophie
School of Data by Daniel Oropeza
Octave Waves by bramichou
Ray III by Mathis Biabiany
Particulate Hash 2 by Liam Egan
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.