Ewerdt Hilgemann quotes this poem by Panta Rhei when talking about his artistic philosophy. While Hilgemann’s sculptures are created with mathematical precision, there is a resulting randomness to each sculpture accomplished by imploding the connected metal forms. Hilgemann, through a vacuum process he developed that he will not reveal, removes the air from the interior of the sculpture, thus eliminating the need for a sculptor’s traditional tools. He manipulates atmospheric pressure, causing the forms to lose their original shape and become less formal and more expressive. He began to use this method of creation in 1984 and continues to employ it. The dichotomy between order and chance is a contradiction that imbues all of Hilgemann’s work. Often described as imploded or exploded, falling, rolling or pressed, the structures retain enough of their fundamental profile to be considered geometric in nature. Yet the consequences of his process produce unpredictable illusions; there is an improvisational quality that brings the work to life. Hilgemann was born in Witten, Germany in 1938. He studied at Munster University and attended art school at the University of Saarland in Saarbrucken. He began to exhibit his work in 1963 in various countries throughout Europe. By the mid-1990s, his pieces were included in shows in the United States and the Far East. His manyawards and grants include those from Aldegraver Gesellschaft in Munster, Germany; the Fritz Berg Foundation in Hagen, Germany; and the town of Gelsenkirchen, Germany. His works are included in public and private collections throughout the world. Hilgemann currently resides in Amsterdam, Holland. | | 
Imploded Column, 2008
stainless steel
72" x 24" x 24"
Courtesy of the Artist and E.B. Fine Art |
