Almaty, Kazakhstan| October 3, 2025 – The Almaty Museum of Arts has released its summary of September results, recording an unprecedented level of public interest. Within just 19 days of opening, the museum was visited by 60,000 people.

The museum’s opening on September 12, 2025, sparked a genuine cultural boom, with 14,000 visitors passing through its doors in the first three days alone. The sustained public enthusiasm continued, and by the end of the month, total attendance reached 60,000.

“These numbers reflect not only the museum’s popularity but also society’s growing demand for high-quality cultural spaces of international standard,” said the museum’s Director, Tatyana Khojayeva.

An analysis of attendance revealed a key characteristic of the Almaty Museum of Arts’ audience:

38% of visitors were children under six, school children, and students. This indicates that the museum is becoming a platform for shaping a new cultural generation and reflects a large-scale transformation of the country’s cultural landscape.

The breakdown of the youth and children audience is as follows:

• Students – 24.6%

• School children – 10.7%

• Children under six – 3%

  
  

“These figures have strategic importance for the future of culture in Kazakhstan. We are witnessing the formation of a generation for whom visiting a contemporary art museum becomes a natural part of life. In 5–10 years, these young people will define the country’s cultural agenda, create their own projects, and support the arts. Every schoolchild or student who comes to the museum today could become an artist, curator, patron, or simply a person with refined aesthetic taste and critical thinking,” commented Nurlan Smagulov, the museum’s founder.

Nearly half of all visitors (49%) purchased standard tickets, showing a willingness to pay for high-quality cultural experiences.At the same time, the Almaty Museum of Arts actively develops accessibility programs for different social groups. In September, the institution welcomed 2,724 pensioners, 398 members of large families who benefited from discounted entry. Additionally, accessible facilities and free tickets allowed 322 visitors with disabilities to attend the museum. 

On weekdays, the museum receives around 3,000 visitors per day, while on weekends attendance peaks at up to 6,000 people.

Visitor analytics reveal the key factors behind this remarkable interest:

• Exhibition quality: The museum’s collection includes works by both Kazakh and internationally acclaimed artists, thereby demonstrating the integration of Kazakh art into the global context.

• Multifunctional and thoughtful design: In addition to its exhibitions, the museum offers rest areas, open spaces, a café, and a shop—creating a dynamic and lively environment, and a comfortable setting for social interaction, blending the cultural experience with everyday activities.

• Novelty effect and a sense of belonging to something significant.

• Social accessibility: A flexible pricing policy ensures the museum is open to visitors from all social groups.

  
  

“The first month has shown enormous potential, but we are only at the beginning of our journey. We plan to expand our educational and international programs. On October 3–4, we host a two-day program of panel discussions and performances developed in collaboration with the leading British institution Tate Modern — ‘A History in Acts and Gestures: Performance, Central Asia and the Caucasus.’ The program features artists, researchers, curators, poets, and writers from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Georgia, Armenia, Lithuania, the UK, the USA, and Canada. The project is organized by Hyundai Tate Research Centre: Transnational with the support of Hyundai Motor.

Our goal is not only to exhibit art but to create a platform for its production, reflection, and integration into public life,” said the museum’s Artistic Director Meruyert Kaliyeva.