Interpretation...is it valid critique?

[rayheinrich]

Yes, a word can be cliche through /usage/ but never through definition or identity.

Congratulations on the completion of your journey from "wrong" to "ironic".

You've finally 'seen the writing on the wall'. A clichéd word is like every
other type of cliché (not an exception as you implied earlier): The
original meaning was not a cliché; it's clichéness had to be earned
through hard, often repetitive, work.

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The statement "art is subjective" is a great demonstration of what a cliche is. It pretends to be identity but we can test that identity. If art is subjective, we can replace the word "art" in situations with the word "subjective"

I went to the subjective musem.
There was a subjective show at the college.
My best friend is a subjectivist.

nope, not identity. And it is pretty common. That makes it a cliche - a doozy too, it is so overused as to be considered axiomatic without even consideration which makes it great to roll out as a quote occasionally without any thought.

Identity? That's just plain silly.

"Is" is being used to assign an attribute:
Art is enlightening.
Art is pretentious.
This wheelbarrow is red.
Soylent Green is people. (Close, but it contains other ingredients as well.)
(Since it doesn't contain any animals, is it vegan?)