Ewerdt Hilgemann's deconstructive approach to sculpture is evident in his new series of four- or six-sided volumes built from stainless steel sheets. Each exquisitely finished piece implodes when Hilgemann sucks the air out with a high-pressure vacuum pump. The result? Contorted shapes with seductive smooth surfaces. Hilgemann's work also appears in L.A.'s public spaces: "That his imploded volumes find a particular resonance in Los Angeles is not coincidental. Much like the decimated manufacturing sector of Hilgemann's post-war Germany, Los Angeles has seen much of its manufacturing industry emigrate overseas in recent decades. Viewed in this light, Hilgemann's volumes play out as industrial vestiges--desiccated remnants of a once vital economy, and avatars of the consequential collapse of the industry's robust social milieu."

Artist: Ewerdt Hilgemann
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Panta Rhei will be on view September 10 to October 16, 2010 at Samuel Freeman in Santa Monica.