Almaty | May 13, 2026 – As part of the major retrospective of Almagul Menlibayeva, Almaty Museum of Arts has released a unique publication: the catalog I Understand Everything. Published in a limited edition, the book serves as the culmination of a significant cultural event and stands as the first fundamental study of the artist’s nearly forty-year creative journey. The project was realized with the strategic support of Halyk Bank.

The monograph’s academic editor is Anel Rakhimzhanova, a researcher and doctoral candidate in the Department of Performance Studies at New York University (NYU), whose work has appeared in prestigious publications such as ARTMargins and Artforum.

The catalogue Almagul Menlibayeva: I Understand Everything spans painting, graphics, textiles, photography, video works, and performances created from 1988 to the present day. Many rare photographs from the artist’s personal archive are being published for the first time. The publication also features a dialogue between Almagul Menlibayeva and the exhibition's curator, Gridthiya Gaweewong (Artistic Director of the Jim Thompson Art Center in Bangkok), including their personal correspondence.

The edition is accompanied by art historical essays that trace key milestones in Menlibayeva's career and explore the media themes and historical contexts that have shaped her work. The texts were contributed by leading international experts:

• Dr. Aliya de Tiesenhausen – Writer, curator, and researcher specializing in Central Asian art. She is the author of Central Asia in Art: from Soviet Orientalism to the New Republics (2016) and co-curator of the London exhibition Focus Kazakhstan: Post-Nomadic Mind (2018).

• Dr. Diana T. Kudaibergen – Lecturer at University College London and expert in post-Soviet protest art and Central Asian social theory. Author of several monographs, including What Does It Mean to Be Kazakhstani? (2025) and The Kazakh Spring (2024).

• Iftikhar Dadi – Professor at Cornell University and researcher of identity and informal urban environments in the Global South. Author of books on modernism in Muslim South Asia and editor of numerous publications dedicated to contemporary art and theory.

Through its combination of reproductions, scholarly articles, and archival materials, the catalogue is of particular interest to both admirers of the artist and researchers of contemporary Kazakhstani art as a whole.

The 300-plus page publication is available in two bilingual versions: Kazakh-Russian and Kazakh-English (each with a print run of 500 copies). The edition, featuring a textured binding, was developed in collaboration with designer Alexei Murashko.

Meruyert Kaliyeva, Artistic Director of Almaty Museum of Arts: "For us, releasing this catalogue is more than just documenting an exhibition; it is a contribution to preserving the history of contemporary art in Kazakhstan. We aimed to create an object of independent value for researchers and anyone interested in the region's art. The book bridges the academic depth of international experts with Almagul’s visual poetry, allowing a deeper look into her creative laboratory than a museum space alone permits."

Almagul Menlibayeva: "This catalogue is part of an ongoing process. My work exists in different layers of time, from the late 1980s to the present. It took shape within historical fractures—when old systems were disappearing and new ones were not yet understood. Everything was happening simultaneously: the collapse of the former world, the emergence of new identities, the opening of borders, and the collision of local and global experiences. In my practice, the personal is inseparable from history. For me, this book has become a personal map of time, allowing the reader to walk this path beside me and see the evolution of my ideas."

The catalogue is now available for purchase at the Almaty Museum of Arts shop. Copies will be donated to libraries, museums, and universities to ensure access for future generations.

The exhibition I Understand Everything concludes on May 17. During the final days of the show (May 15, 16, and 17), exclusive artist-led tours with Almagul Menlibayeva will take place. Additionally, on May 16 at 16:30, a discussion will be held between the artist and German Popov—composer, researcher, and the author of the soundtracks for many of Menlibayeva’s video works.