Editorial

Gerhard Kowař

The second issue of KulturKontakt Magazine is devoted to the concerns that have motivated KKA’s activities over its 20-year history. We decided to focus here more on the perspectives than on the retrospectives of an institution that owes its existence to the transformation in Eastern and South Eastern Europe and ultimately, also, in Austria.

We also wanted to talk about the challenges that this transformation has brought.
Sustainability is one of the concepts that engaged our attention with increasing intensity while planning and compiling this issue. Sustainability can be seen in the context of society as a whole, in the context of educational policy, of cultural policy or in the institutional context: in any case it expresses, concisely and optimistically, what KKA will continue to work towards, together with its institutional partners, long after its twentieth anniversary.
Allow me to give cordial thanks to the authors and artists who contributed to this issue: their articles present a broad spectrum of perspectives by which the activities of KKA in the past 20 years have been measured and will continue to be measured in the future. The work being done by KKA covers an extensive and complex field of undertakings. In this issue you will also find strategic considerations relating to our various spheres of action as well as exemplary projects.

Apropos anniversary: The events section of this magazine provides an overview of the activities we have planned for you, and for us, on the occasion of our 20th jubilee: exhibitions, discussion evenings, publications, educational programmes, an anniversary celebration and other events. We are taking the opportunity to celebrate and engage in discussion with all those who have accompanied us along part of our path and thereby contributed to the success of the project KulturKontakt Austria. And we invite you to give some thought to how the challenges of the coming years can be mastered.

We wish you much enjoyment with this magazine and we look forward to receiving your feedback, be it positive or critical.