The Davos arts programme: 'Art ventures where policy briefs and position papers cannot go'

"Rooted in this year's overarching theme, A Spirit of Dialogue, the Arts and Culture Programme invites leaders from every sector to engage with creativity not as ornamentation, but as an indispensable framework for understanding our shared humanity. Through works spanning performance, installation, immersive technology and participatory experience, the programme seeks to demonstrate a simple but profound truth: the arts remain one of our most powerful tools to foster empathy, ignite imagination and catalyse collective action."

"At a time when discourse is flattened into sound bites and algorithms shape what we see, the arts remind us of something essential: dialogue is not merely the exchange of information but the meeting of inner worlds. Art ventures into spaces where policy briefs and position papers cannot go, offering nuance, ambiguity and emotional resonance. It creates room to reflect on who we are, who we aspire to be, and how we might bridge the widening gaps between us."

The Arts and Culture Programme at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting frames creativity as essential for understanding shared humanity amid global uncertainty, polarisation and digital acceleration. Artistic practice is presented as a tool to foster empathy, ignite imagination and catalyse collective action through performance, installation, immersive technology and participatory experience. Dialogue is defined as the meeting of inner worlds rather than mere information exchange, with art creating nuance, ambiguity and emotional resonance where policy briefs cannot reach. Curatorial focus centres on three pillars — Human Presence in the Digital Age, Tradition and Innovation, and Connection and Collaboration — balancing intellectual rigour with immersive engagement.

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