By Cayla Goh (25A01B) 

What does art mean? 

What you answer depends on who you are. For a word as broad as art, its meaning can be hard to chase down and capture. Despite and because of this, the common denominator might be that it’s inherently human, shaped by human hands.

But, recently, the meaning has been shifting. Generative AI has taken the reins–here is visual art, literary art, even performance art that has been created not from the fingertips of humanity, but from software. And with that, the meaning only becomes more slippery. 

Yet, people still uncover the meaning of it every day. Part of creativity is its enduring nature. More than ever, the act of creation now becomes an act of courage.

More Than Ever–that’s the theme for this year’s Singapore International Festival of the Arts (SIFA), chosen by Festival Director Natalie Hennedige. A theme that has as broad of a definition as arts itself.