Almaty Museum of Arts opens its doors in Kazakhstan’s cultural capital

The long-awaited opening of nan Almaty Museum of Arts marks a milestone successful nan region’s taste life.

Founded by businessman and philanthropist Nurlan Smagulov, it showcases much than 700 useful from Kazakhstan and Central Asia, alongside pieces by starring world artists.

With its divers scope of media, genres, and perspectives, nan depository intends to service arsenic a hub for modern creation successful Central Asia.

The depository sits astatine nan foothills of nan Tian Shan mountains and stands arsenic a activity of creation successful its ain right. Designed by British patient Chapman Taylor and completed complete 3 years, nan 10,060-square-meter analyzable consists of 2 intersecting wings — 1 clad successful Jura limestone, nan different successful aluminum — symbolising Almaty’s mountainous scenery and municipality environment.

Architecture arsenic Art

Art originates earlier visitors moreover measurement inside. Outdoors, large-scale installations invited guests and group nan reside for nan acquisition ahead.

Spanish ocular artist, sculptor and designer Jaume Plensa’s NADES (2023) — a 12 metre image of a young female pinch closed eyes and a accepted Kazakh braid — offers a infinitesimal of calm amid nan city’s municipality flow.

British-Nigerian creator Yinka Shonibare’s Wind Sculpture (TG) II (2022) offers different motion to Central Asian traditions, wherever scarves clasp taste significance. The 12-metre precocious activity takes nan shape of a wind-blown aluminum scarf painted successful vibrant Ankara-inspired patterns, reflecting connected layered taste identities and assemblage legacies cardinal to Shonibare’s practice.

Berlin-based creator Alicja Kwade’s Pre-Position (2023), inspired by Kazakhstan’s Torysh Valley and its surreal spherical stone formations, combines chromatic spheres and alloy forms to evoke celestial systems and ancient astronomical devices — a meditation connected time, gravity, and cosmopolitan connection.

Qonaqtar: Guests of nan Steppe

The Almaty Museum of Arts opened pinch 2 exhibitions, nan first titled Qonaqtar — “Guests” successful Kazakh. Centered connected artists of nan 1960s, nan show originates pinch useful portraying nomadic culture, regular rituals, food, and festive gatherings. Highlights see Baursaks (1993) by Bahtiar Tabiyev, showing a female frying accepted dough, and Aisha Galimbayeva’s Shepherd’s Feast (1965).

As visitors move deeper into nan hall, nan accumulation turns toward much analyzable reflections, juxtaposing nan weight of Soviet restrictions pinch nan richness of Central Asia’s creator heritage.

At its halfway is Salikhitdin Aytbayev’s photograph On Virgin Soil. Lunchtime (1960s), which addresses nan Virgin Lands run (1954–1965) — a Soviet effort to plough immense steppe regions to boost atom production, marked by labour enthusiasm, infrastructure building, and wide migration into nan region.

“If Aisha Galimbayeva is my starting point, past this is nan anchor here,” explains Inga Lāce, nan museum’s main curator. “It talks astir nan infinitesimal erstwhile migration happens and it wholly changes nan organization of nan full country. And that besides opens up different stories of what other happens successful nan steppe connected nan land.”

Across paintings, schematic works, sculpture, and modern practices, nan accumulation besides explores themes of labour migration, identity, displacement, and belonging.

I Understand Everything: Almagul Menlibayeva’s Retrospective

The depository besides presents I Understand Everything, nan first retrospective of Almagul Menlibayeva, a multidisciplinary creator whose believe spans painting, textiles, performance, photography, film, and caller media.

Known for blending Eurasian myths, shamanistic imagery, and post-Soviet realities, Menlibayeva has developed what she calls a individual and governmental “cosmology” that examines identity, memory, and taste resilience. Her useful person been exhibited internationally, including astatine nan Venice Biennale and awesome museums successful Europe, Asia, and nan United States.

“We are truthful gladsome to yet person a abstraction wherever we tin genuinely think,” Menlibayeva says. “It feels for illustration a temple of creation — and artists person truthful overmuch to share. This twelvemonth I’ve had galore exhibitions successful Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Bangkok. Everywhere, group are profoundly funny astir Kazakhstan, astir Central Asia. We person nan position of looking done a post-socialist lens. We are multidimensional.”

Curated by Gridthiya Gaweewong, Artistic Director of nan Jim Thompson Art Center successful Bangkok, nan accumulation unfolds successful 2 chapters. The first (September 2025 – January 2026) revisits nan Kazakh steppe, nan Aral Sea, and nan Semipalatinsk atomic trial zone, culminating successful nan multi-channel installation Kurchatov 22 — named aft nan concealed municipality successful Kazakhstan that served arsenic nan halfway of nan USSR’s atomic weapons program. The 2nd (opens successful February 2026) turns to Kazakhstan’s geopolitical terrains and sites of memory, featuring useful connected Stalin-era labour camps and women’s agency on nan Silk Road.

International Perspectives

Alongside its Kazakh and Central Asian collections, nan depository dedicates respective rooms to starring world artists.

American sculptor Richard Serra’s Junction (2011) — nan past large-scale activity relocated pinch his support earlier his passing — envelops viewers successful immense curving alloy forms that redefine nan acquisition of space. Inside nan agelong alloy labyrinth, each measurement produces a dense echo against nan walls, amplifying a consciousness of weight and pressure.

In nan room of German creator Anselm Kiefer, nan scent of charcoal fills nan air. His installation Questi scritti, quando verranno bruciati, daranno finalmente un po’ di luce, (2020–21) — titled aft writings by Italian philosopher Andrea Emo — combines lipid connected canvas pinch burnt books and metallic wire, evoking demolition and renewal.

Two further rooms coming iconic useful of modern art: Yayoi Kusama’s Infinity Mirror Room: LOVE IS CALLING (2013), an immersive situation of light, pattern, and poetry, and Bill Viola’s Stations (1994), a meditative video installation connected transformation, inspired successful portion by Sufi philosophy.

Looking ahead, nan depository plans to rotate its postulation and shape much solo exhibitions, while partnering pinch world curators and institutions. With workshops, acquisition programs, and a conservation laboratory successful development, it intends to turn into a vibrant hub for creation and speech successful Central Asia.