The hexeosis loop is inescapable, as eternal as it is fleeting. We surrender to the magic of milliseconds voyaging us into an infinite paradox of time collapsing on its own expanse; psychedelic, futuristic meditations on the ever expanding fractals that lock us into the limitations of self-referential bloom. Somehow, we go everywhere, getting absolutely nowhere – except diving dozens of parsecs deep into our own innerspace. That is, if we’re doing it right. But I’m not sure I’ve ever done anything “the right way,” so try for yourself!
I’ve read that in 1968, it became a regular thing for people to drop acid before entering a movie theater to watch Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey. One of the big reasons for these acid trips is the “Stargate Sequence” on the journey to Jupiter. I can’t watch a hexeosis GIF without feeling like I’ve got gum stuck to the bottom of my shoes, having time traveled 12 years before my own rainy day conception, to witness for myself in silver screen awe, the dawn of slit-scan by visual effects pioneer Douglas Trumbull.
hexeosis started making animated graphics in 2013, the heyday of Tumblr, at a time that culture was embracing succinct expressions of 6 second Vines and 140 character limit Tweets. We were a mere 6 years since our collective attention began to be absorbed into our own personal palm-sized monoliths. His art feels like an organic creative outgrowth of the times it emerged, when smart phone technology began hijacking human nervous systems. At a time that social media companies quietly tunneled into our dopamine receptors, hexeosis plainly and vibrantly latched onto our scrolling gaze. Fingers gone limp as our feeds paused onto his mesmerizing animations, the art of hexeosis played into the Tumblr equivalent of “I’ll have what she’s having!“
hexeosis and I became personally connected in early 2020, during a pivotal moment for digital artists. He was one of the signatories of the Royalties Letter addressed to platforms—an advocacy effort where artists rallied to establish royalties as a foundational aspect of NFT smart contracts, to ensure fair treatment for creators adopting what should be revolutionary technology, if only embraced by an equally revolutionary culture. Our shared commitment to artist empowerment speaks volumes about the values of Erik Buth, the artist known as hexeosis, and it’s a major reason I’m proud to spotlight his work today.
Simple geometries and limited palettes expand into limitless possibilities. Please join me in following hexeosis and consider either now or in the future adding one of his spellbinding works to your collection.
— Matt Kane
