On Sept. 8, the Almaty Museum of Arts will open a new exhibition, «Musinder: Sculpture of Kazakhstan from the 1950s to the Present.» The show is expected to be a highlight of the new season and will mark the museum’s first anniversary. Kursiv LifeStyle takes a look at what visitors can expect.
According to the museum’s press service, the exhibition will feature more than 50 works by Khakimzhan Nauryzbayev, Isaak Itkind, Yerkin Mergenov, Rysbek Akhmetov, Moldakul Narymbetov and Aida Adilbek.
The show brings together Soviet-era academic works alongside pieces by contemporary artists, tracing the evolution of Kazakhstani sculpture over the past 70 years. It will be divided into four thematic sections covering people, memory, history and national identity, with particular attention paid to how materials and artistic language have changed over time.
The Kazakh word «musin» means both «sculpture» and «human figure,» which is why the human form sits at the center of the exhibition.
The project is curated by art scholar Aliya de Tiesenhausen, who said the exhibition treats sculpture not as a static art form but as a living process that evolves alongside society.
The exhibition will run from Sept. 8, 2026, through May 2027, and an illustrated catalog will be available in Kazakh, Russian and English.
According to Atasu Group Founder Marat Zhuman, who supported the exhibition, the project brings together different generations and reflects the changes Kazakhstan has undergone as seen through art.
In July, the Almaty Museum of Arts hosted a visit from Ricky Martin, who was in town for a concert. The Puerto Rican singer received a private tour and left a thank-you note in the museum’s guest book.
