ASTANA – At first look, art and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) may appear to be from opposite worlds: one driven by creativity and imagination, the other by policy frameworks and quantitative targets. A new exhibition at Maqsut Narikbayev University (MNU) hosted by the Austrian Embassy in Astana is built directly on this crossroads.
The Austrian Foreign Ministry, in collaboration with ICOM Austria, the world’s largest national museum association, unveiled the exhibition on April 30, which explores how arts and culture contribute to sustainable development and social transformation as part of the UN SDGs.
Andrea Bacher, Ambassador of Austria to Kazakhstan, opened the exhibition and stressed the importance of culture in developing collective imagination. Andrea Bacher, Ambassador of Austria to Kazakhstan. Photo credit: MNU “At first glance, art may seem separate from global challenges like climate action, poverty reduction, or clean water.
But in reality, culture shapes how we see the world. And, more importantly, how we choose to change it,” Bacher said. “Achieving the SDGs is not only a technical or political task. It requires imagination, creativity, innovation, and shared values. This is where arts and culture play a crucial role: they help us envision a different, a better future.
And they motivate us to work together to realize it.” She noted that addressing global issues requires extensive cross-sector collaboration between governments, corporations, academics, science, and the arts in a broader effort to create a more sustainable and inclusive society.
Austrian expert Doris Rothauer, who traveled to Astana to curate the exhibition, said the period after the Covid-19 pandemic reshaped attitudes toward museums and cultural venues, transforming them from passive guardians of cultural heritage to proactive catalysts for social duty and reflection.
She also emphasized the wider significance of culture during uncertain and complex global times. Austrian expert Doris Rothauer. Photo credit: MNU “The impact of art and culture today is more than ever connected to the world’s most pressing issues and to questions that we all have: How do we want to live in the future?
What do we need for a good life on earth? And, in regard to the arts, how can we heighten awareness through art and culture of an environmentally sound and socially just world?” she said. The exhibition also showcases Austrian best-practice examples in SDG-related areas, such as accessibility and inclusion, cultural diversity, community development and involvement, climate and environmental protection, sustainable design and architecture, and the preservation of cultural heritage.