CONTEMPORARY ART: Manfred Kielnhofer Kili, designer, sculptor, photographer…
Guardians of TIME
For decades now, products from Austria have fascinated both consumers and critics. Austria has some surprises for international attention: for ages, the biggest strength was in sculpturally shaped designs, but cultural tradition and the natural setting of the country can also be found in modern forms
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ne of the prominent representatives of contemporary art design in Austria is certainly Manfred Kielnhofer Kili. He was born on 28th January 1967 in Haslach an der Mühl, Austria. Manfred “Kili” Kielnhofer attended the Linz Technical College, where he took his final exam in 1995. He was engaged with technique and design, while art on buildings led him to his special way of art. Since 2000 he has lived as a freelance artist in Linz, wherehe launched Gallery Artpark in 2005. Kielnhofer’s most famous work is “Guardians of Time“. Draw-
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BUSINESS PARTNER AUSTRIA
ing on religious and supernatural phenomena, the Guardians of Time are stone statues cloaked in hooded robes and positioned to appear as though they are moving forward in some kind of ritual. In some cases the figures stand alone; in other instances they are grouped together as if whispering to each other. Kielnhofer places his statues in public places like ancient castles, old mines, plazas and parks. They are installed and moved without fanfare, heightening the eerie, mystic aura they emit. The first of these mysterious figures was created in 2006. Since then, Kielnhofer continues to