«The theremin has swallowed me into its microtonal universe.» Dorit Chrysler

Artist Bio

Musician and installation artist Dorit Chrysler (born 1966) is one of the world's finest theremin players. The theremin, invented in 1920 by the Russian Lev Theremin, is the only electronic instrument played without physical contact, solely by moving the hands in the air. Chrysler, who lives in New York and Berlin, has performed with artists such as Carsten Nicolai, Philip Glass, and Marilyn Manson. She composes music for films (Lars von Trier) and television, most recently for the German crime drama Tatort: ​​Borowski und das Haupt der Medusa (2025). Her installations have been exhibited internationally, including at the Venice Biennale. For Klang Moor Schopfe 2025, Chrysler adapted her installation Calder plays Theremin inspired by Alexander Calder's mobile sculptures and shown at MoMA in New York. In this adaptation, she transformed mobile, locally found «performative» objects into theremin players.