Ni Sheng is a scholar of Philosophy and Art. Heholds a Ph.D. in Philosophy from Fudan University, China. In his doctoral dissertation he wrote about Kant’s Critique of Judgment. He has been a Professor at the Shanghai Theatre Academy since 2009 where he teaches courses on the history of art,avant-garde arts and theatres in Western societies,the history of Indian theatre, and aesthetics. His current fields of research areGermanphilosophy, aesthetics, art theory, theatre arts, Buddhism, the philosophy of language, and Chinese ancient philosophy and arts. He is an active member of the Shanghai Dramatists Association.

Research Project

Performativity and Theatricality

This project explores the emergence of the concepts of performativity and theatricality, as they solidify their places in Chinese discourse on performance. These two concepts are new to Chinese mainstream arts circles despite the fact that performance art and postdramatic theatre have been present in China for more than thirty years. Additionally, this project looks closely at the misunderstandings that have emerged about Eastern theatrical and performative practices by Western theorists and practitioners. 

Recomended Readings

• Erika Fischer-Lichte, Performativität: Eine Einführung, Bielefeld: transcript Verlag, 2013.
• Ni Sheng, A Research on Early German Documentary Theatre, Shanghai: Shanghai Far East Publishers, China, 2015.
• Ni Sheng,The Art Theory in Ancient China, Shanghai: East China Normal University Press, 2019.