The Danish set and costume designer Christian Friedländer has created stage designs for numerous productions in theatre, opera, and ballet across Scandinavia, Germany, Belgium, Austria, Switzerland, and France. He has collaborated with directors and choreographers such as Katrine Wiedemann, Anders Paulin, Tue Biering, Bille August, Kasper Holten, Jeremy Weller, Alexander Mørk Eidem, Frank Castorf, and David Marton. His collaborations with Bobbi Jene Smith include Pierre at the Royal Danish Theatre in Copenhagen, PIT at the Opéra Garnier in Paris, Marie et Pierre at Theater Basel, and Waiting Places at the Betty Nansen Theatre in Copenhagen.
From 1998 to 1999, Friedländer was the resident scenographer at Malmö Stadsteater, and between 2004 and 2007, he served as artistic director for Turbinehallerne at the Royal Danish Theatre in Copenhagen. Between 1998 and 2013, he was closely associated with the Royal Danish Theatre, where he has contributed to 36 productions, including Hamlet (directed by Mørk Eidem) for the opening of Skuespilhuset in 2008.
Since 2012, Friedländer has primarily worked at European theatre and opera houses, including Den Norske Opera in Oslo, Opéra National de Lyon, Schauspielhaus Stuttgart, Münchner Kammerspiele, Volksbühne Berlin, the National Theatre in Prague, Opernhaus Zürich, and Bayerische Staatsoper. His opera productions include Die Zauberflöte and Hänsel und Gretel at Den Norske Opera (directed by Alexander Mørk Eidem), as well as collaborations with David Marton at Opéra National de Lyon (Capriccio, Orfeo ed Euridice, La damnation de Faust, Don Giovanni), Opernhaus Zürich (L’Olimpiade), and Münchner Kammerspiele (La sonnambula, Le nozze di Figaro).
Friedländer has also worked regularly at Stockholm City Theatre and other institutions across Scandinavia.
Additionally, Friedländer created Denmark’s contribution to the Danish Pavilion at the 2023 Venice Architecture Biennale with the diorama work Mermaid Bay.