Inspired by Dutch artist Piet Mondrian. Made with an interest in color theory and a love for color in general.

Dot Grid

This collection is a study of identity in the modern digital era, increasingly dominated by NFT profile pictures. We all construct complex identities to project out into the world, perhaps to distract ourselves from facing the real question that is gnawing at our subconscious. "Who am I?" The moment we feel ourselves begin to grasp an answer it recedes further out of reach leaving us in free fall. The good news is there is no ground.

We pay homage to Ukrainian-born artist Kazimir Malevich, founder Suprematism, an avant garde art movement focused on the fundamentals of geometry and the essence of experience. In the same way that artists from this movement explored the supremacy of pure artistic feeling, we explore the pure essence of identity and self-expression. Can we express an identity using  long form generative art with nothing but math and code? What is considered beautiful and desirable?

Taking this further we then explore the concept of Ego Death. Each piece represents not just the aesthetic combination of geometry and faceless human energies, but can be used as a meditation object that will remind the collector of the illusion of self. We have created a new type of pfp project that doesn’t just represent the egoic desire to fulfill ambitions and own scarce luxury goods, but rather is a true expression of one’s soul on the journey to enlightenment. 

---

# Interactivity
This artwork contains one important interaction. The viewer is invited to click on the image, at which point it comes to life allowing the viewer to explore his or her identity by moving the mouse. We liken this to sitting down to meditate and asking the question “who am I?”. As the exploration continues, the viewer realizes that the decorative and outwardly expressed aspects of identity are but an illusion and they begin to dissolve.  Eventually the viewer experiences ego death, arriving at a pure black square illuminated by a sliver of light. The light of pure awareness. The viewer realizes he or she is nothing more, and nothing less, than consciousness itself.

---

# Features
The algorithm maps color palette variations and meta-structures of the geometries to different human archetypes. The code playfully generates characters for each collector based on a unique moment in time, and the collector’s unique wallet address, which we hope will establish a personal connection with the piece.

Some of the most rare pieces are the most undecorated, representing the highest version of enlightenment that is hardest to achieve through practice. When you dissolve into the absolute there is no more decoration but only the feeling of oneness.

Ego Death

**FOCUS** is a 1000 image meditation, and it is my second release of Zen-inspired generative art, following [Ensō](https://www.artblocks.io/project/34).

This algorithm can produce images that are elegantly minimal, as well as images featuring complex patterns that explore visual illusions and artificial space. The limited palette consists of black, white, and five colors; this both constrains possible outcomes and allows the creation of unique perceptual interactions. Inspired by the Zen art tradition of doing more with less, FOCUS does not utilize any pseudo-random number generation, and each output can be recreated by hand using simple math, estimation, and dedication. Except in extremely rare scenarios, each token can provide a wide variety of visual experiences through its interactive features: use up and down arrows to adjust the pattern recursion factor, left and right arrows to adjust the midpoint count, ‘h’ to hide or show the central shape, and ‘s’ to save. FOCUS is best viewed live and full screen.

*Interactive features: use up or down arrows to adjust the background pattern's recursion, and left or right arrows to adjust the number of midpoints along the sides of the background pattern. Use ‘h’ to hide or show the central shape, and ‘s’ to save an image. To use the token's hash to 'autoplay' the token, use Matto's [FOCUS animator](https://matto.xyz/tools/focus-animator/index.html).

*Companion project: deFOCUSed  is a free-to-claim, 100% on-chain, generative art project, where every FOCUS token creates a deFOCUSed token. It's a free gift to my collectors. (Thank you!) [Claim Site](https://defocused.matto.xyz/) |  [More Info](https://matto.xyz/project/defocused/)

FOCUS

Dance of the primitive shapes - demonstrating my fascination and love of the basic building blocks for many types of computer generated imagery. 
Incorporating random chance with some strict design decisions, numerous sub variations and collectable series can be generated. 
Controls: mouse to rotate and zoom in/out; r: reset position; p: play/pause; t: trails on/off;

PrimiDance

"Return" is a meditation on returning inward, cyclical change, and the beauty of iteration. The composition of each piece slowly loops, providing a new experience for the viewer over time. Created by Aaron Penne

Art

Company

Learn