Ewerdt Hilgemann
Artist’s Statement
From the beginning, elementary research has characterized Ewerdt Hilgemann’s work. After experiments with subtle, white wooden wall pieces catching light in the 1960s, he turned into a conceptual sculptor, using natural stone, as well as steel, geometrical shapes in series: positive versus negative.
In 1980 he introduced randomness and natural powers beyond his control into his working method. Much to his surprise, he found that also the unpredictable is subject to natural laws, to which he soon could adapt and anticipate.
Is there anything softer than air, more vital for human beings, breathing in and out? Yet, this same air is powerful and capable of pressure, folding large steel containers when the air is being evacuated. That force has become Hilgemann’s tool.Biography
1938 Born in Witten, Germany
1959-1961 Art School + University of Saarland, Saarbrücken, Germany
1964-1967 Grants + Awards by: Aldegrever Gesellschaft, Munster, Germany
Fritz Berg Foundation, Hagen, Germany, Town of Gelsenkirchen, Germany
1970-1984 Lives in Gorinchem, Netherlands
1975-1984 Studio and residency in Carrara, Italy
1977-1998 Teaches at Rotterdam Art School, Netherlands
1981-1982 Sabbatical, travelling around Europe
1984 Moves to Amsterdam, Netherlands
1998-now Exhibitions and regular stay in Los Angeles, CalifoniaInfluences
BODIES OF WORK
1959-1968
White wooden reliefs, using round elements in a grid, a play with light
1968-1970
Sculptural environments with large red tubes
1970-1974
White wooden reliefs and cubes with square partitions
1975-1984
Marble cubes, spheres and boulders
1984-now
Metal sculptures using natural powers, e.g. gravity and air pressureExhibitions
EXHIBITIONS
Since 1963 many exhibitions in different countries occurred -
a selection of most significant exhibitions is listed below:
2023
‘Ewerdt Hilgemann und Weggefährten’, Kunstraum Norten, Gelsenkirchen / Germany
‘Ewerdt Hilgemann’, Závodný Gallery, Mikulov / Czechia, solo
‘EH 85: 7 Sculptures’, Galerie Neher, Essen / Germany, solo
‘Habakuk’, Longterm Installation, Avenue of the Stars, Los Angeles / CA.
2022
‘Triple’, Long Term Installation, Sculpture Route, Zeist / Netherlands, group
‘Cubes Only’, Chabot Fine Art Gallery, The Hague / Netherlands, solo
‘Summer Selection’, Geiger Gallery, Constance, Germany, group
‘Heavy Weights’ Bender Gallery, Munich / Germany, group
’Sculpture Festival Anningahof’, Zwolle / Netherlands, group
‘Arbeitskreis’, Fondatione Marcello Morandini, Varese / Italy, group
’Double’, Permanant installation, Pedestrian Zone, Via del Cairo, Varese / Italy
2021
’Threesome NY’, Permanent Installation, EUREF Campus, Berlin, Germany
’Summer Show’, Anningahof, Zwolle, Netherlands, group
‘Ewerdt Hilgemann’, Royale Projects, Los Angeles, USA, solo
‘Voorhout Monumentaal’, Pulchri, The Hague, Netherlands, group
‘Cracked Cubes’, Geiger gallery, Konstanz, Germany, solo
2020
‘ZEITLOS GUT!’, Geiger gallery, Konstanz, Germany, group
‘Jing’an International Sculpture Project (JISP), Shanghai, PR China, group
‘Cube (Self)’, Coppejans Gallery, Antwerp, Belgium, solo
‘Ewerdt Hilgemann & Diet Sayler in Dialogue’, Parts Project, The Hague, Netherlands, dual
‘Ewerdt Hilgemann, Work in Progress (1959-2020)', Kröller Müller Museum, Otterlo, Netherlands, solo
‘Heavy Metal’, DENK gallery, Los Angeles, California, group
2019
Radial Art Contemporain, Strasbourg, France, duo
Bogert Gallery, Knokke, Belgium, solo
‘Zutphen Concreet’, Dat Bolwerck, Zutphen, Netherlands, group
Kunststation Stadtlohn, Germany, group
Sculpture Park Anningahof, Zwolle, Netherlands, group
German Embassy, The Hague, Netherlands, group
Galerie Geiger, Konstanz, Germany, solo
‘Transformation’, Bundesgartenschau, Heilbronn, Germany, group
‘Entropie III’, Schoots & VanDuyse Gallery, Antwerp, Belgium, group
'B1-Konstrukteure künstlerischer Form’, Museum, Witten, Germany, group
2018
‘Resonance’, Beeckestijn Castle, Velsen, Netherlands, group
Sculpture Show, Dordrechts Museum and Outside, Netherlands, group
Sculpture Park Anningahof, Zwolle, Netherlands, group
‘Sculpture Triennial’, Bad Ragaz, Switzerland, group
‘Das Rohe und das Gekochte 1967-heute’, Kunsthalle, Bremen, Germany, group
‘Summer Show’, Verbeke Foundation, Kemzeke, Belgium, group
‘Freiraum der Kunst’, Goethe University, Frankfurt, Germany, group
‘EH 80’, Borzo Gallery, Amsterdam, solo
2017
'Serielle Formationen', Daimler Contemporary, Berlin, Germany, group
Geiger Gallery, Konstanz, Germany, solo
'Blickachsen', Sculpture Biennial, Bad Homburg & Frankfurt, Germany, group
'Art in Oisterwijk', Oisterwijk, Netherlands, group
'Raakvlakken', Beelden in Leiden, Netherlands, group
Sculpture Park Anningahof, Zwolle, Netherlands, group
'Art Zuid', Sculpture Biennial, Amsterdam, Netherlands, group
Gruga Sculpture Park, Essen, Germany, group
Royale Projects, Los Angeles, CA, solo
2016
‘Zeitlos Gut’, Galerie Geiger, Konstanz, Germany, group
‘Dancers NY’, Kansas City Art Institute, Kansas City, Missouri, temporary public installation
‘Programmierter Zufall: Implosion’, Galerie Peter Zimmermann gallery, Mannheim, Germany, solo
‘White Art’, Galerie Petr Zaloudek, Prague, Czech Republic, group
‘Entropie’, Galerie Schoots & Van Duyse, Antwerp, Belgium, group
‘Best of Ruhrgebiet III’, Galerie Frank Schlag, Essen, Germany, group
‘Art of the 20th Century’, Galerie Neher, Essen, Germany, group
2015
'Hilgemann & Friends', Kabinett K, Hanover, Germany, group
'Zeitlos Gut', Galerie Geiger, Konstanz, Germany, group
'Behind the Wall', Havana Biennial, Cuba, group
Sculpture Park Ravesteyn, Heenvliet, Netherlands, group
Sculpture Park Anningahof, Zwolle, Netherlands, group
'Reductive', Dum Umeni, Ostrava, Czech Republic, group
'Teknology', Galeria Impakto SAC, Lima, Peru, group
2014
'Implosion Event', Kröller-Müller Museum, Otterlo, Netherlands
'Panta Rhei', Mana Contemporary Art Center, Jersey City, NJ, solo
'Reductive', Tatranska Galeria, Poprad, Slovakia, group
'Moments in a Stream', Ewerdt Hilgemann / Clara von Aich, William Holman Gallery, New York, NY, dual
'D-Form', Ewerdt Hilgemann / Jan Maarten Voskuil, Dr. Julius ap, Berlin, Germany, dual
'Moments in a Stream', Park Avenue Sculpture Project, New York, NY, solo, publ.
'Freeze Frame', Magnan Metz Gallery, New York, NY, solo
'Reductive', Galeria EL, Elblag, Poland, group
'Implosion Event', Kunsthalle Bremen, Germany, solo
2013
'Ewerdt Hilgemann, Der Luftschmied', Luftmuseum, Amberg, Germany, solo
Sculpture Park Anningahof, Zwolle, Netherlands, group
'Ewerdt Hilgemann, Live Implosion', MARCdePUECHREDON gallery, Basel, CH, solo
'Ewerdt Hilgemann, NY Project', Art Affairs, Amsterdam, Netherlands, solo
'Ewerdt Hilgemann, Der Luftschmied', Flottmann-Hallen, Herne, Germany, solo
'Coll. Manders - Naar eenvoud en verstilling', Museum van Bommel van Dam, Venlo, NL, group
2012
'Zufall', Vasarely Museum, Budapest, Hungary
'Positionen konkreter Kunst heute', Stadtmuseum Simeonstift, Trier, Germany
'Faltwelten -It's all in the fold', Galerie Bender, Munich, Germany
'Geometric-abstract.eu', Dom Umenia, Bratislava, Slovakia
'Metall-Konkret-Remix', Deutsche Werkstätten Hellerau, Dresden, Germany
Galleri Mårtenson&Persson, Båstad, Sweden
Sculpture Garden Anningahof, Zwolle, Netherlands
'MIX 2012', Rob de Vries Gallery, Haarlem, Netherlands (with Sol Lewitt + Tilman)
'Klare Taal' (Homage to Riekje Swart), Locus Solus, Antwerp, Belgium
'Out of Control', Nest Art Space, The Hague, Netherlands
2011
'Metal Konkret', Galerie St.Johann, Saarbrücken, Germany
'Nul=Zero & Contemporaries', Art Affairs, Amsterdam, Netherlands
'Nul=Zero', Galerie De Rijk, The Hague, Netherlands
'Spring/Summer Exhibitions', Grounds for Sculpture, Hamilton, New Jersey
'Jubileum', De Gang, Beuningen, Netherlands
'Kunsthöfe', Laboratorium, Saarlouis, Germany
2010
'Konkrete Konzepte', Galerie Ruhnke, Potsdam, Germany
'Panta Rhei', Samuel Freeman Gallery, Santa Monica, California
Sculpture Garden Anningahof, Zwolle, Netherlands
'Spring/Summer Exhibitions', Grounds for Sculpture, Hamilton, New Jersey
'Kunstlandschaft Ruhrgebiet', RWE, Dortmund, Germany
2009
'Amsterdam in New York', Art Affairs Project Space, New York, New York
'Positionen Konkreter Kunst heute,' Landesmuseum, Mainz, Germany
'Industrial Land Art im Ruhrland,' Kunstmuseum, Ahlen, Germany
'Sculpture in the Summer,' Royale Projects, Indian Wells, California
'Ewerdt Hilgemann at Art Karlsruhe,' Galerie Neher, Germany
'Mostly Sculpture (damn it)' Samuel Freeman, Santa Monica, CA
2008
'Fall season', Samuel Freeman, Santa Monica, CA
'Exemplifizieren wird Kunst', Ludwig Museum, Koblenz, Germany
'Implosion-Explosion, Ewerdt Hilgemann-Friedrich Werthmann', Herne, Germany '
Ewerdt Hilgemann, Implosion-Sculptures', Vonderbank Gallery, Berlin, Germany
2007
'Tegendruk', Sculpture Park Tesslo, Netherlands
Galerie Roland Aphold, Basel-Alschwill, Switzerland
Wilhelm-Hack Museum, Ludwigshafen, Germany
'8 x Konkret', Beardsmore Gallery, London, England
Künstlerverein, Munich, Germany
2006
Galerie Zimmermann, Mannheim, Germany
Carl Berg Gallery, Los Angeles, California
'Nature's twist', Art Affairs, Amsterdam, Netherlands
Museum Waterland, Purmerend, Netherlands
2005
'Old & New', Art Affairs, Amsterdam, Netherlands
'Art-Field', Moscow, Russia
'Farbe-Fläche-Form', Galerie Neher, Essen, Germany
'Symposion Gorinchem', Gorinchem, Netherlands
Galerie Roland Aphold, Basel-Allschwil, Switzerland
'Sculptures', Grusenmeyer Art Gallery, Deurle, Belgium
Aegon, The Hague, Netherlands
2004
Grusenmeyer Art Gallery, Deurle, Belgium
Galerie Neher, Essen, Germany
'Skulptur.04', Galerie Roland Aphold, Basel-Allschwil, Switzerland'
Skulptur und Objekt', Bratislava, Slovakia
Bleibtreu Galerie, Berlin, Germany
Kunstverein, Gelsenkirchen, Germany
Galerie Hüsstege, den Bosch, Netherlands
Sparda Kunstraum, Saarbrücken, Germany
Galerie St.Johann, Saarbrücken, Germany
2003
Gorcums Museum, Gorinchem, Netherlands
Galerie le Besset, St.Jeure d'Andaure, France
Museum Mondriaan Huis, Amersfoort, Netherlands
'Art on the Outside', City of West-Hollywood, California
2001
Galerie St.Johann, Saarbrücken, Germany
Irvine Fine Arts Center, Irvine, California
Galerie Zimmermann, Mannheim, Germany
2000
Galerie Aphold, Basel-Allschwil, Switzerland
Galerie Hoffmann, Friedberg, Germany '
1999
'To Be Imploded', Weltbühne, Berlin, Germany
1998
'Sculpted by Air', Art Affairs, Amsterdam, Netherlands
1997
'Implosioni', Galleria Vismara, Milano, Italy'
Seven for Luck', Galerie Artline, Amsterdam, Netherlands
1996
'Panta Rhei', Art Affairs, Amsterdam, Netherlands
Museum Waterland, Purmerend, Netherlands
Städtisches Museum, Gelsenkirchen, Germany
1995
Museum für Konkrete Kunst, Ingolstadt, GermanyWebsite
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