Art Blocks’s mission is “to bring compelling works of generative art to life,” and it is our thriving community of artists, collectors, and supporters of this mission that make it happen. That's why on the occasion of our second annual Marfa Weekend, we wanted to focus with renewed gratitude on our community: by turning over the keys to our exhibition space to them.

Last July, our team issued an Open Call in Discord (our on-line home) for community curators to self-nominate with proposals to curate an exhibition in Marfa, Texas (our IRL home). The response was extraordinary, and through a rigorous selection process, three guest curators were ultimately chosen to bring their visions to life. Regulars in our lively #block-talk channel all, 0xTechno, Plutonium. F, and proper stepped up to this challenge and have been working for months to prepare the final line up for their exhibition entitled perceive(), which will kick off our Open House weekend by opening to the public on November 11, 2022.

The show they’ve designed is divided into three sections, with each curator programming their own discrete space, and the artworks selected highlight the diversity of on-chain generative projects released on the Art Blocks platform over the past two years. Some projects are among the most renowned Art Blocks releases, but the curators have also used this opportunity to shine a light on lesser-known favorites as well. Thus, there promises to be discoveries for the first-time viewer and the seasoned AB collector alike.  

0xTechno will unveil perceive(color), an exhibition focussing on the way colors can affect our emotions and moods. This section features carefully selected animated and interactive works from the Curated Collection by Loren Bednar, Rafaël Rozendaal, Jen Stark, and Alida Sun. 

For the section entitled perceive(light), curator proper has selected projects that use light to evoke feelings of ethereality. Here viewers will encounter works by Jason Ting and Jess Hewitt, and consider them alongside other pieces by Jorge Ledezema, Sarah Ridgley, and Owen Moore.

PlutoniumF. has conceived of an installation that invites the viewers to look for recognizable forms in non-representational compositions. Inspired by the way the community shares individual artworks in Discord and looks to give them nicknames or characteristics based on what they see—Dmitri Cherniak's “goose” Ringer is the quintessential example the curator cites—the section entitled perceive(form) will feature multiple works from single projects, shown on a rotating basis. Multiple examples from projects by Emily Xie, William Mapan, Yazid, and the collaborative team of Emily Edelman, Dima Ofman, and Andrew Badr will hopefully provide much fodder for new discoveries.

While the exhibition is, of course, meant to be experienced in person, and all are encouraged to attend (it will be on view through Spring 2023), we have also produced a printed catalog featuring statements by each of the curators, a conversation (conducted, appropriately, over Discord), and ample illustrations of the work in the show.

Community is at the heart of what Art Blocks aims to do, and this exhibition could not have happened if it weren't for the hard work of these community curators, the generosity of the collectors who have lent their work to the show, and to the artists who choose to entrust their projects to the platform. Perceive() has been designed to celebrate these special relationships, and we hope you'll have a chance to experience the show.