As we slowly emerge from trying times, it is hard to forget how it was to feel overwhelmed by the unprecedented presence that disrupted our countries, our lives, and our minds. We felt trapped and suffocated, weak and disempowered. We sought to relieve ourselves — to get out of the crisis in some way, any way. 

​

But the past two years have already trained our collective conscience on what to turn to — we know that the comforting warmth of the creative arts will always welcome us with open arms, and we welcome it too. The power of art to console, entertain, and give us direction when we need it has stood the test of time. Sometimes, even when all it has to offer is a little distraction from the tyranny of reality, it is more than enough. 

​

In the dark, society realises how much it depends on those it so often takes for granted and even writes off as dispensable. It is our artists — writers, poets, singers, performers, actors, musicians, playwrights, comedians, designers, and so on — who keep us sane and human, just as they do the ever-important work of defining our humanity of today and tomorrow.

​

But on a personal level, a lot of us turn to art in more ways than one. We not only consume, but also reflect and produce. We create just as fervently as we partake, and take on the role of the creator. Art is catharsis, whether taken in or given out. Unwrap serves as a medium for us to reconcile these two connections once more, one piece at a time.

​

This year, Unwrap has a sparkling addition to our usual repertoire of extended articles — for the first time, we are featuring two creative pieces to remind ourselves of the light that the written arts bring into our dwellings. 

​

We thank our writers for joining us in reflecting on the world to which we are now beholden, because art thrives on in spite of the world. As always, we hope that our writers will keep inspiring you to explore for yourself how art mimics, negotiates, and reinvents life — and how life so often imitates art.

​

Jeriel Chua, 

Chief Editor of Unwrap,

Creatively housed at Anglo-Chinese Junior College

For West-Zone Centre of Language Arts (Singapore)