Manfred Kielnhofer

Manfred “KILI” Kielnhofer (born January 28, 1967 in Haslach an der Mühl) is an Austrian painter, sculptor and photographer.
Manfred “KILI” Kielnhofer visited the technical College Linz where he took his final exam in 1995. He was engaged with technique and design and art on building lead him to his special way of art. Since 2000 he lives as a freelance artist in Linz. 2005 he launched Gallery Artpark in Linz.
Kielnhofer’s most famous work is, “Guardians of Time“. Drawing on religious and supernatural phenomena, the Guardians of Time are stone statues that are cloaked in hooded robes and situated to seem like they are moving forth 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 give off. The first of these mysterious figures was created in 2006. Since then, Kielnhofer continues to create and install these statues all over the world. In 2012, the artist created the first of a new series of miniature guardians out of plastic. In 2009, Kielnhofer developed a new sort of ‘act photographs’, which involves the construction of a water plate in his studio, where he can take photos of models sitting or lying down, likely on a mirror. In 2010 he developed the concept of the Light Art Biennale Austria with Martina Schettina. The InterluxChair, Kielnhofers artwork shown at the biennial, was registered in the design-database of the MAK, the Museum forApplied Arts in Vienna. 2012 Kielnhofer designed the Mini guards, 54x36x34cm, 1 kg, as a limited edition, they are signed and made of plastic. In various colours they can be illuminated from within. One of the Mini guards was ordered by Peter Weibel for the ZKM Zentrumfür Kunst und Medientechnologie Karlsruhe in 2012. Guardians of Time settle in during Public Art Dubai 2013. The T-Guardian which depicts a cloaked red figure by Kielnhofer seated a top a metal cross covered in “spikes”. First cast bronze guardian of the art foundry Krismer.