Hilgemann's bodies of work from the 1960s focused on wall pieces, consisting of wooden dowels, as well as serial and minimalistic installations ("Space Structures") out of large resin or steel tubes. In the 1970s, reliefs and mostly wooden abstract geometrical sculptures followed, based on grids as well as the cube. The 1980s meant a change in thinking, when Hilgemann made his first photographic work Random Sculptures (for herman de vries), followed by a series of granite boulders e.g. referencing to the (maximum) cube that can fit inside a sphere by cutting away what was needed to reveal the cube, yet showing all parts of the process. In 1982, for the first time with an audience, he rolled a perfectly polished marble cube (150x150x150 cm) down hill in the famous Carrara quarry, where Michelangelo already got his marble from. The result was a scratched and battered piece, but it still remained recognisable as a cube! Likewise, in 1983 he brought two perfectly polished spheres to a controlled explosion, resulting in fractured pieces carefully accounted for (3 parts for the white Carrara marble, 9 parts for the dark Bardiglio marble). The same year, during sculpture symposium East-West Forum in Dordrecht, Netherlands he made his first welded steel cube, which he threw down from the rooftop of an abandoned factory. These sculptures and their planned destruction depend to a large extent on random circumstances. However, these can also be premeditated by stipulating their conditions. According to the artist, this equally is the case with his so-called "Implosion Sculptures", which Hilgemann started in 1984 and that are still going on. The perfectly welded stainless steel geometrical shapes are vacuumed by a pump (or by means of water), causing the body to slowly give way to the outside pressure, resulting in a new form, yet leaving a visual reference to the original. The most used shapes are cubes, square columns and pyramids. In 2014 Hilgemann was invited by the Park Avenue Sculpture Committee to exhibit his work on the median along Park Avenue in New York City for a period of three months, starting in August. For this prestigious environment Hilgemann designed new works for seven locations between 52nd and 67th Street, all made of stainless steel in different configurations, single pieces as well as groups of two or more.
Works in public spaces (selection) 2021
Threesome, EUREF Campus, Berlin, Germany 2020
Three of a kind, Smalley Sculpture Garden, California 2017
Imploded pyramid, Grugapark, Essen, Germany 2011
Three Graces, Bad Soden, Germany 2010
Imploded Column, New Pacific,
Beverly Hills, California 2006
Quint, Hervormd Lyceum, Amsterdam, Netherlands 2005
Double-Up, Aegon Collection, The Hague, Netherlands 2004
Panta Rhei, City of Hünfeld, Germany 2000
Cerberus, Investment Bank Berlin, Germany 1996
Imploded Cube, Il-San Sculpture Park, Ko-Yang City, Korea 1995
Imploded Column, City of Sárospatak, Hungary 1992
Fountain, City of Ingolstadt, Germany 1992
Delft Implosion, Technical University Delft, Netherlands 1991
Plus Minus, City of Gorinchem, Netherlands (co-production Jan van Munster) 1991
Homage to Brancusi, City of Galati, Romania 1990
Reflection, City of Nivala, Finland 1989
Tension, City of Rotterdam 1987
Birth, City of Heemstede, Netherlands 1986
Rolling Cube, City of
Sion, Switzerland 1986
Natura Artis Magistra, University Nymegen, Netherlands 1986
Imploded Column (Elblag Implosion), Elblag, Poland 1986
Imploded Pyramid, City of Kleinsassen, Germany 1985
Imaginary Landscape, IWO, Amsterdam, Netherlands 1985
Exploded Sphere, Sculpture Park, Dordrecht, Netherlands 1983
Finnish Landscape, City of Kemi, Finland 1979
Field of 32 Cubes, City of Brielle, Netherlands 1978
1+2=3, City of Gorinchem, Netherlands 1974
Three equal volumes, City of Gorinchem, Netherlands 1972
Cube Structure, City of Gorinchem, Netherlands 1969
Space Structure (Bijlmer), City of Amsterdam, Netherlands Ruimtestructuur Bijlmer border Nelson Mandelapark.jpg|
Space Structure (1969). Bijlmerpark (a.k.a. Nelson Mandelapark),
Amsterdam Gorinchem kunstwerk kubusstructuur.jpg|
Cube Structure (ca. 1972).
Gorinchem Gorinchem kunstwerk drie gelijke volumes.jpg|
Three equal cubes (1974). Brick.
Gorinchem Dordrecht kunstwerk exploded sphere.jpg|
Exploded Sphere (1983). Carrara Marble.
Dordrecht Ewerdt Hilgemann - Cerberus 01.jpg|
Cerberus (2000),
Berlin Landgoed Anningahof Zwolle NL 2023-05-20 (1).png|Two equal volumes (2017-2023). Stainless Steel, Anningahof,
Zwolle Works in public art collections (selection) Denmark •
Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, Humlebæk
Germany •
Kunsthalle Bremen, Bremen • Forum Konkrete Kunst, Erfurt • Letterhausschule, Gelsenkirchen • Museum Modern Art, Hünfeld • Museum für Konkrete Kunst, Ingolstadt • Museum Abteiberg, Mönchengladbach •
Lenbachhaus, München • City of Herne/Wanne-Eickel • Museum im Kulturspeicher, Würzburg • Kunsthalle Bremen, Germany
Hungary • Vasarely Museum, Budapest
Netherlands • Museum Mondriaan Huis, Amersfoort • Modern Art Museum, Arnhem •
Dordrechts Museum, Dordrecht •
Van Abbemuseum, Eindhoven •
Rijksmuseum Twenthe, Enschede • Gorcums Museum, Gorinchem •
Groninger Museum, Groningen •
Bonnefantenmuseum, Maastricht •
Kröller-Müller Museum, Otterlo
Poland • Museum Chelm, Chelm • Muzeum Sztuki w Lodz, Lodz • BWA Lublin, Lublin
Turkey • Elgiz Museum, Istanbul ==Literature (selection)==