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If you think police just harass photographers for looking suspicious, consider the fate of the “Madonna and sisters.” These four sculptures were arrested and thrown into jail by Italian police in the city of Venice. They were created by the artist Manfred Kleinhofer and were set-up during the Art Biennale exhibition. The figures travelled around Venice by gondola and were finally placed at the water's edge at St. Mark's Square (Piazza San Marco). This is the heart of the floating city and, it seems, the authorities were worried that this was suspicious behavior. The figures are called by their creator "Guardians of Time" so they could hardly be seen as being on the side of the bad guys. After the arrest, an email was sent to attempt to get some help to free the sculptures from their captivity.

It read:

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Please help:
The Guardians of Time (the Madonna and sisters were arrested by police at the St. Mark's Square in Venice and taken into custody. Has anyone observed, photographed or filmed the seizure of the four life-sized red sculptures of the Guard Time on Wednesday afternoon August 31st, 2011?

We ask your assistance by sending photos of the arrest.
The red giant sculptures were carried away by four policemen to the nearby police station on Piazza San Marco.
Time Guards "Madonna" light sculptures are made by the artist Manfred Kleinhofer. Please send your photos to info @ lightart-biennale.com.

Thanks for your help.
http://lightart-biennale.com
http://kielnhofer.com

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I am passing this information on to PIXIQ viewers with the hope that someone who was there or who knows someone who was there, saw and photographed this Art injustice and can help. Especially, if you have videos of the four policemen hauling the Madonna and sisters off to a dark jail cell somewhere in the depths of this half-submerged town, you can make a difference. 

Venice, by the way, has a nasty and long history of political intrigue, assassinations and summary executions. Not a good omen for the Madonna and the sisters. Luckily these sculptures have built in lights, so at least they will have some illumination in their cells during their incarceration.  

Hope you can help.