German artist Ewerdt Hilgemann has been recognized in the States for some time now, his work reflective of America’s current post-industrial state: a gleaming façade collapsing from within. Comparable to Los Angeles’ industrial damage in the past years, Hilgemann’s volumes express the remnants of a bruised economy and the resultant collective mindset.
Hilgemann’s most recent work, titled Panta Rhei, is a series of imploded stainless-steel structures that will be on display at the Samuel Freeman gallery in Santa Monica from September 10 to October 16. Similar to his sculpture pieces along Santa Monica Boulevard in 2003, steel plates are manipulated into crumpled forms by outside pressure once a vacuum has removed the air from inside. Like avant-garde artists such as John Cage, Hilgemann works with the subject of chance in a minimalistic and mature way.
To avoid the congestive crowds of Bergamot Station’s fall opening on September 9, the gallery will host the opening for Panta Rhei on a Friday evening, rather than the usual Saturday. Additionally, Samuel Freeman will remain open late on the 11th for your convenience.
The Samuel Freeman gallery is located at Bergamot Station, 2525 Michigan Avenue, B7 in Santa Monica, California 90404. Gallery hours are 11 AM to 6 PM.