Grand Opening of the Almaty Museum of Arts

Join us in Almaty for the preview programme on 9 - 11 September 2025, ahead of the official public opening on 12 September. This landmark occasion marks a significant new chapter for the cultural life of the region - celebrating leading voices in contemporary art and launching a major new platform for international artistic dialogue.

Designed by Chapman Taylor, the museum’s architecture reflects the juxtaposition of Almaty’s mountainous landscapes and urban skyline. The building spans over 10,000 m², including more than 4,000 m² of exhibition galleries.

The opening programme will include inaugural exhibitions, special performances, artist talks, tours and public events.

Opening Programme

• Almagul Menlibayeva’s solo show: I Understand Everything

  Curated by a renowned Thai curator Gridthiya Gaweewong, this is the first-ever retrospective of the Almaty-born artist. The exhibition presents works from the 1980s to today - spanning painting, photography, video, and installation - and explores overlooked histories and indigenous cosmologies in dialogue with gender, identity, ecology, and post-Soviet realities.

  
  

• Qonaqtar: Exhibition from the Collection of Almaty Museum of Arts

  Curated by the museum’s Chief Curator Inga Lāce, this group exhibition draws from the museum’s growing collection to examine themes of hospitality and migration across Kazakhstan and Central Asia - tracing connections between welcome and displacement, belonging and loss.

  
  

• Outdoor Commissions & Artist Rooms

  Newly commissioned outdoor works by Yinka Shonibare, Alicja Kwade, and Jaume Plensa will greet visitors at the museum’s entrances and public plaza. The inaugural Artist Rooms display features works by Bill Viola, Anselm Kiefer, Richard Serra, and Yayoi Kusama.

  
  

• Live Programme

  Curated by Armenian-born independent curator Anne Davidian, the live programme features performances, screenings, artist talks, and collective gatherings. It draws inspiration from Almaty’s rich musical heritage and the museum’s location on Al-Farabi Avenue, named after the 9th-century philosopher and author of The Great Book of Music.

This is not a formal RSVP, by submitting this form, you express interest in attending. Official invitations with confirmation details will follow closer to the date.