Autoglyphs by Larva Labs
Autoglyphs were created in April 2019 by Larva Labs as the first fully on-chain, "long form" generative art. Unlike many more modern forms of on-chain generative art which rely on off-chain rendering libraries, all of the code needed to generate each Autoglyph in its "ASCII art" form was processed and stored on the Ethereum blockchain. Users submitted transactions with 0.2Ξ to randomly generate each mint via the on-chain code/algorithm (~$35 at the time). The foundational legacy of Autoglyphs lives on in the flourishing on-chain generative art space.
Protoglyph by Larva Labs
Before Autoglyphs was the Protoglyph, an exploratory output created by Larva Labs from an algorithm which was too computationally intensive to deploy on the Ethereum blockchain. Larva Labs cited this as the prototype for Autoglyphs. This special edition mint was eventually made available for members of the PROOF Collective in March 2022, where 77 members chose to mint one copy of it each- based solely on appearance (alongside other works as mint options), not knowing the artists or the story behind this piece at the time. It quickly became one of the most sought after mints from the series.
MATH ART by Herbert Franke
Franke is an algorthmic and computer art pioneer, creating digital art since the 1950s. His foundational work continues to inspire generations of computer & generative artists who came after him. MATH ART draws from works Franke created in collaboration with programmer Horst Helbig at the German Aerospace Center between 1980 and 1995, created to study mathematical disciplines in relation to aesthetics, and reveal a universe of mathematics visualized through shapes and colors reminiscient of pop art. Franke released MATH ART as a set of 100 curated NFTs on Quantum in May 2022 at the age of 95.
Squiggly by NateAlex (aka Atlantes)
Early on-chain generative artist & innovator NateAlex created Squiggly as a 100 piece collection in October 2020 after being inspired by Autoglyphs. Squiggly introduced important innovations to on-chain generative art, including use of scalable vector graphics (SVG) for rendering (first used by avatar project "Avastars"). It also utilized a unique auction model for minting via tokenized ink cartridges, allowing the winner to be named creator of the piece, permanently on the blockchain. The use of SVG for on-chain generative art was soon also used by art houses such as Art Blocks.
Chromie Squiggle by SnowFro
The Art Blocks platform catalyzed a new generation of generative artists & collectors, and Chromie Squiggle was its first "day 1" collection, released on November 27, 2020 by Art Blocks founder SnowFro. Like most Art Blocks collections, Squiggles utilize SVG- allowing for expanded creative expression. Squiggles come in a variety of styles, from common Normal Spectrums to ultra-rare Perfect Spectrums and many styles in between. With a set size of 10000 (minting paused at 9300), Squiggles have become the unofficial community token of Art Blocks and of the SquigglesDAO. And yes, they move!
Genesis by DCA
Genesis, a 512 piece collection created by DCA, also had the distinction of being a "day 1" Art Blocks mint. Genesis #0, featured in this gallery, was the 4th mint by the Art Blocks Curated contract (token ID #1000000), and the very first user-minted Art Blocks piece ever (with prior mints by arist Jeff Davis for his "Construction Token"). Since then, user minting of generative art with randomly determined characterstics has become a hallmark of Art Blocks and other generative art platforms- where user, artist, and the Ethereum Virtual Machine all collaborate to create each piece of art.
Construction Token by Jeff Davis
Construction Token, a 500 piece collection by Jeff Davis, is the third and final "day 1" Art Blocks mint. As a generative artist, Davis' work often explores the nature and nuance of color. Jeff has become a key figure in the on-chain generative art community as the Chief Creative Officer of Art Blocks, where he shepherds the continual evolution of the platform and the art form.
Ringers by Dmitri Cherniak
The launch of Ringers in January 2021 was a turning point for on-chain generative art, as a breakout work bringing significant new attention to the genre. The concept of strings wrapped around pegs was proposed by Armin Hoffman in 1965, with artists exploring the form ever since. Cherniak spent years developing an algorithm of his unique interpretation of this concept, eventually finding the ideal medium with the blockchain. He intended for collectors to mint several from the 1000 piece collection to display as a grid. The result is one of the most striking & iconic generative art sets ever.
Violent Subdivisions by Dmitri Cherniak
Cherniak created this piece in response to a prompt from Genuary 2021, challenging him to use triangular subdivision to create something unique and compelling. The final result inscribes circles in the triangles recursively, and sometimes does not display the triangles at all, leaving blanks spaces where they might otherwise appear. The triangles are divided evenly, adding to an offset feeling. The result is a piece which evokes a feeling of harmony through unveiled harshness. Description by the artist: "The edges were sharp all along. They let them have it anyway."
The Eternal Pump by Dmitri Cherniak
For his second on-chain generative art series, Cherniak created The Eternal Pump as a surprise drop in February 2021, with an extremely limited run of 50 pieces. Smoothly pulsating, the set was enigmatic from the start with the tagline "Don't fight it. Just respect it." Eternal Pumps became highly sought after among Cherniak's most dedicated collectors. Cherniak observed this distribution to his most ardent fans and rewarded holders nearly a year later with a reserved mint from his ground-breaking Wrapture release.
Wrapture by Dmitri Cherniak
With its release in December 2021 at 50 pieces purchaseable only by Eternal Pump holders, Wrapture shocked the NFT space by challenging us to deeply consider what it means to "collect" NFT art at all. In a space where holding periods by speculators sometimes only last for days or hours, Cherniak challenged Wrapture collectors with a social & economic experiment: if no Wraptures trade, sell, or list for sale in the next year, then only those 50 would exist. If even one holder violated these rules, then 616 new mints would be issued. As of May 2022, not a single one has been listed or traded.
Archetype and other works by Kjetil Golid
Kjetil Golid, a generative artist and system developer from Norway, released Archetype in February 2021 as a 600 piece collection on Art Blocks. Designed as an artistic exploration of rectangle partitioning, it features a variety of layouts, shading, and color variations- evoking feelings ranging from order to chaos, and everything in between. Featured in this collection is one of the 10 cube outputs, and the first one minted by this algorithm. Also featured are outputs from the Paper Armada series, a separate 3000 piece collection minted in March 2021.
Fidenza by Tyler Hobbs
Like Ringers before it, Fidenza catalyzed a new wave of interest into on-chain generative art and Art Blocks. Released by Tyler Hobbs as a 999 piece series in June 2021, collectors were drawn to Hobbs' use of a "flow field" algorithm, a technique he's experimented with since 2016. This resulted in organic shapes and appealing compositions of such a varied nature, with myriad size and color compositions, that many onlookers mistook them for being drawn and composed directly by human hands. It remains one of the most beloved collections of on-chain generative art ever produced.
Series 0 Synth Poems and Series 4 Glitchbox by Deafbeef
DeafBeef is a pioneer in on-chain audiovisual generative art, with outputs which can be rendered solely with a C programming language compiler. After observing the audiovisual NFT space with entries via ArtBlocks and EulerBeats, he aspired to experiment and create audio synthesis code from first principles. Featured in this gallery are Series 0 Synth Poems (which evoke the output of an analog synthesizer) and Series 4 Glitchbox (programmable and tuneable by the user, with changes which can be saved directly to the Ethereum blockchain).
Mutant Garden Seeder by Harm van den Dorpel
Memories of Qilin by Emily Xie
Xie released Memories of Qilin in March 2022 as a generative art series of 1024 pieces. Inspired by traditional East Asian art, the work channels the sense of movement and fluidity found in classical Chinese brushwork, while drawing from the colors, patterns, and forms of ukiyo-e woodblock prints. The series explores elements of folklore, evoking the mythological imagery of dragons, phoenixes, flowers, and mountains. The title references a fabled chimerical beast found throughout East Asian mythology (while the qilin is its Chinese name, it is also known in Korea as the girin and Japan as the kirin) that represents prosperity and luck. Viewers are invited to interpret elusive forms that verge on representation. As with the stories passed on through generations, each piece is imagined, organic, and ever-in-flux.
Away from Keyboard by Emily Xie
Unlike Xie's typical code-based work, "Away from Keyboard" is a physical piece: a hand-cut and pasted collage inspired by her own algorithms. Each piece of paper used is printed with one of her generative patterns. Through this manual creation process, Xie gets to explore and understand her generative systems in a different light.
Subscapes by Matt DesLauriers
Meridian by Matt DesLauriers
Anticyclone by William Mapan
Fragments of an Infinite Field by Monica Rizzoli
Phototaxis by Casey Reas
CENTURY by Casey Reas
Nimbuds by Bryan Brinkman
Primera by Andrew Mitchell and Grant Yun
Singularity by Hideki Tsukamoto
sail-o-bots by sturec
Solos by Jeremiah Palecek and Dennison Bertram
Gener8tive K-Compositions by aphexyuri
Works by Jeff Davis
Within/Without and Apparitions by Aaron Penne
Traversals and Rainbows by Loren Bednar
Cyber Cities by pxlq
Dynamic Slices by pxlq
Unigrids by Zeblocks
Solvency and Silk Road by Ezra Miller
Themes and Variations by Vera Molnár and Martin Grasser
Remembrance of Things Future by multiple artists, curated by LACMA & Cactoid Labs
Released on the blockchain in phases, Remembrance of Things Future is engineered and curated by Cactoid Labs, conceived and created in support of The Los Angeles County Museum of Art. Remembrance of Things Future includes historic limited editioned and long-form generative artworks by Monica Rizzolli, Ix Shells, Jen Stark, Emily Xie, Sarah Zucker, 0xDEAFBEEF, William Mapan, Tyler Hobbs and other digital practitioners.