In my view, the best generative artwork is both instantly captivating and curiously challenging. Che-Yu Wu, a fabled artist from New York City by way of Taipei, mastered this approach with his fxhash release SoulSea.
SoulSea immediately draws me in its crisp neon-fresh palettes and finely detailed marine touches. The palette selection is profoundly varied and emotionally selected, making me want to curate pieces from the collection to see them side by side.
At first sight, SoulSea has a clean technical look. But the more you view it, the more warm and mesmerizing each piece becomes right before your eyes. Watching a SoulSea iteration is like catching a glimpse of the ocean through a futuristic filter. Sometimes waves roll by like thoughts in mind, but like thoughts, the waves fade and lose focus again.
The ‘oily’ SoulSea palette captures the ephemeral quality of the collection. When viewed, it requires a few moments to render but develops beautifully.
SoulSea #12
Then there is the ‘silent night’ palette which, to me, is the collection’s holy grail. These palettes represent the bottom of the sea — a rare place where we’ve only been in imagination. What awaits us there?
