“When theory gets to work, it sings.”

For the 11th Shanghai Biennale, Raqs intended to produce a form to play out the tension that this distribution of intelligence between theory and practice creates. This method is referred to as the Theory Opera. The initiating question is: What would be the contours of discourse and practice be if theoretical propositions are made in different forms, and are enacted by disparate striations of thought?

The Theory Opera aims to explore the sensuality of thoughts. These are live scenarios within the exhibition space at intersections of works, or within works, and outside PSA in the city, throughout the duration of the biennale. Theory Opera is coordinated by Liu Tian and in collaboration with Yao Mengxi as the scenographer.