Chaos Blocks

2021

James Merrill’s “Chaos Blocks” drawings explore the tension between order and chaos. Each drawing in the series is reminiscent of a geological drawing, and we see them created on the screen as each layer draws on top of the next. After the layers are created, each is filled with an unexpected, vibrant pattern. James is reacting against the inhuman perfection that often characterizes visual art created through machines. With this focus, his work has a strong relationship to many of the first plotter drawings created in the 1960s that explored randomness to circumvent precision. James amplifies this further with his library of dense and meticulous patterns.

#19

Chaos Blocks was released as a NFT on Feral File, as part of the -GRAPH exhibtion.

30 unique plotter drawings

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Chaos Blocks was released on Feral File as part of the -GRAPH group exhibition, curated by Casey Reas. Other artists included: Licia He, Aleksandra Jovanić, Iskra Velitchkova, Julien Gachadoat, and Tyler Hobbs.