Elementary research characterizes Ewerdt Hilgemann’s conceptual practice. Trained under Oskar Holweck (1924–2007), Hilgemann was deeply influenced by the artist group ZERO and its focus on movement and light. In the 1960s, the artist experimented with delicate wood works that captured light, later using stone and steel in an exploration of positive versus negative space. As he worked to disrupt the tropes of minimalism, studying the magnificent forces of nature, he became fascinated with the power and brute force of air, an element that is congruently soft, ephemeral and vital to human existence. The artist meticulously crafts stainless steel geometric forms, vacuuming the air from their interiors and causing the structures to bend and collapse morphing into new shapes.
Hilgemann has public installations around the world including Chicago, IL; Kansas City, KS; the City of West Hollywood, CA; Berlin, Germany; Busan, Korea and New York City, NY. His works are held in public collections worldwide including Museum Lenbachhaus, Munich, Germany; Museum Mondriaanhuis, Amersfoot, Netherlands; Irvine Fine Arts Center, Irvine, CA; Art Field, Moscow, Russia; Vasareli Museum, Budapest, Hungary and Groninger Museum, Groningen, Netherlands.
