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Private Museum in Kazakhstan to Launch in 2025
By Emily Cheung
Rendering of the east entrance to the Almaty Museum of Arts, designed by Chapman Taylor, with a newly commissioned sculpture by Yinka Shonibare. Courtesy Almaty Museum of Arts.
Slated to open in mid-2025, the Almaty Museum of Arts will be the first private institution of modern and contemporary art in Central Asia. Founded by collector, philanthropist, and businessman Nurlan Smagulov, the new museum is dedicated to preserving and presenting Kazakh and Central Asian modern and contemporary art. The institution will house over 700 works including those by leading international artists such as American sculptor Richard Serra and commissioned outdoor sculptures by Alicja Kwade and Yinka Shonibare.
Artistic director Meruyert Kaliyeva and chief curator Inga Lāce aim to inspire a deeper understanding of how Kazakhstan’s contemporary artistic expressions have shaped Central Asia’s cultural landscape, and to celebrate the region’s rich historical heritage. They will launch research initiatives and dynamic exhibitions, as well as commissions, publications, and educational programs to promote Kazakhstan’s unique artistic language to local and global audiences.
Almaty’s mountainous landscape and its distinctive urban characteristics have inspired British architects Chapman Taylor on the design of this 9,400-square-meter building. The museum and its collection will be donated to the city, which is the founder’s hometown.
The two opening exhibitions include a solo show by Kazakh artist Almagul Menlibayeva, titled “I Understand Everything” and curated by Gridthiya Gaweewong from The Jim Thompson Art Center in Bangkok, as well as “Qonaqtar,” a group exhibition curated by Lāce that draws from the museum’s collection.
Emily Cheung is an editorial intern at ArtAsiaPacific.
