“Observing myself playing the guitar from a sculptural perspective brought me to the idea to concentrate on shaping the motoric aspects of my playing-motions instead of playing a piece of music. When you take your instrument and start to play you bring your body into the action. You can listen to your body, to your motions and you can listen to the way you move.” – Christian Jendreiko

Born in Germany in 1969 and based in Düsseldorf, Christian Jendreiko is an internationally recognized experimental artist realizing actions with large ensembles of musically trained or untrained performers in novel, site-specific settings.

One of Jendreiko’s starting points was a fundamental question: what would it mean, in the artist’s words, “to free the motion in minimal music from its compulsion towards repetition?” Jendreiko specifically seeks to reconsider acoustics as aspects of how body and mind are constructed. A revised conception of sound has led the artist to explore a practice rooted in inner dynamics, emphasize the necessity to recognize inner motivations, and move in accordance with them.

If Jendreiko’s investigation into the relationships between mind, body, and feedback motivates the theoretical foundation for his compositions, thus comprising an inner world, then a wholly democratic, decentralized, and sculptural approach to the political characterizes the artist’s philosophy toward actions, which last anywhere from two to seven hours, frequently executed by large ensembles. Combining classically trained musicians and untrained performers in nonhierarchical and improvisatory fashion, Jendreiko transforms groups into social sculpture.

The 2CD Box/Book AKTIONEN/ACTIONS consists of samples of fieldrecordings of Christian Jendreiko’s actions that have been performed at Wesleyan University (2007), Kunstverein Düsseldorf (2007) and Kunstverein Nürnberg/Albrecht Dürer Gesellschaft (2009) as well as a 74page booklet with an extended artist text and a photographic essay on the art of Jendreiko's actions.

To the date of the 2CD Box/Book in 2011 other actions have been held for example at Eastsideprojects Birmingham, UK (2010, 2011), Arnolfini, Bristol, UK (2011), Kunstverein München (2011), Badischer Kunstverein, Karlsruhe (2011), Museum Abteiberg, Mönchengladbach (2011), Schmela Haus, Düsseldorf (2010), Kölnischer Kunstverein (2010), Baer Ridgeway Gallery, San Francisco, USA (2010), and JB Jurve, Los Angeles, USA (2011).

In joint venture with Kunstverein Nürnberg/Albrecht Dürer Gesellschaft.