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fxGems #11 ⏀ Top 117 Best Abstract Projects from Dec. 2021 - Part II

fxGems #11 ⏀ Top 117 Best Abstract Projects from Dec. 2021 - Part II

written by Haiver

08 Feb 2023128 EDITIONS
4 TEZ

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.


Wondering by Yi-Wen Lin

Wondering #92

Spiroculae by Hyenta

Spiroculae #63

Protein Pelt by Chris McCully

Protein Pelt #229

Comstractions by Volatile Moods

Comstractions #6

Flowers by 0xm4_0

created by0xm4_0
owned byorigami

Flowers #1

Flowers #1

Pulsar by George Savva

Pulsar #52

Illuyanka by DistCollective

Illuyanka #137

Hesitance by Krankarta

Hesitance #162

Curl Culture by Aranya

created byAranya
owned bycrunk

Curl Culture #38

Curl Culture #38

Waterfall Poems by Daniel Oropeza

Waterfall Poems  #13

De/FragV2 by toxi

De/FragV2 #262

The Persistence of Order by Camille Roux

THE PERSISTENCE OF ORDER #94

Dancing Dots by Estienne

Dancing Dots #29

[ranges] by Itayniv

created byItayniv
owned bykinny

[ranges] #252

[ranges] #252

Meander River Plot v2 by nudoru

Meander River Plot v2 #164

Intersection 2 by Chris Randall

intersection 2 #78

Direzioni by whitekross

Direzioni #75

Smoke Trails by rje99

Smoke trails #1

The Grid by cbrpnk

created bycbrpnk
owned byGenuwine

THE GRID #19

THE GRID #19

Perpetual Motion Squared by Juhani Halkomäki

Perpetual Motion Squared #17

Dalmatian Factory by mandybrigwell

Dalmatian Factory #5

b.1 by Pablo Alpe

created byPablo Alpe
owned byXander

b.1 #44

b.1 #44

Candy Eights 2D by Numerus_Artifex

Candy Eights 2D #80

Around by Johan Holwerda

around #63

Slide by punevyr

created bypunevyr
owned byeike

s l i d e #451

s l i d e #451

Polyvalence by Alex Grasser

Polyvalence #158

Making Mole Hills by adamferriss

Making Mole Hills #185

Mosaic by Sam Tsao

Mosaic #22

beat_voxels.v001g ft. Kuámasi by gianko

beat_voxels.v001g ft. Kuámasi #9

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.

So don't forget to subscribe, follow, and collect ;)

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