Dom na Baribayeva 36: Famous Almaty Art Space Faces Its Final Days

On January 30, Almaty hosted one of its most unusual press conferences — held in a cold, dimly lit room with only candles for light.

The residents of Dom na Baribayeva 36, an art space, organized this event to convey their current situation.

They have been without electricity or heating since last Friday, and on February 5, they may be forced to leave the building permanently.

Orda.kz explores how one of Almaty’s most unique cultural spaces ended up on the brink of eviction.

Dom na Baribayeva 36 opened in 2020. It is housed in a 1950s building that once served as a Soviet-era physical education school and later as the Uzbekistan Embassy and Consulate.

After the consulate relocated, the building remained under the ownership of IVI JSC, a quasi-public entity wholly owned by Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Five years ago, We Group LLP, led by Dauren Tyuleyev, signed a lease agreement with IVI JSC, securing the space for 10 years at a rate of 1.8 million tenge per year, with a maximum rent increase of 10% annually.

However, there was one major caveat.

A week before signing,  IVI’s lawyers discovered that their land lease with the Almaty Akimat would expire on February 13, 2024. In this regard, as a pure formality, they asked to conclude the agreement until February 1, 2024, and then an automatic extension was assumed. We trusted them. We moved in and invested about 100 million tenge and the same amount from our residents. Then, new management came in and said there would be no extension. No explanation,  says Dauren Tyuleyev.

According to Tyuleyev, instead of the expected 10% rent increase specified in the 2020 contract, the rate was raised by 220%.

Following this, the lease for Dom 36 was put up for tender. The winner was Grunge LLP, linked to buyer Liliya Rakh. In an interview with Orda.kz last year, Rakh outlined her vision for the space — focusing on fashion while keeping some existing artist studios.

Believing they had the legal right to continue renting, We Group challenged the tender results in court. The initial ruling was in their favor, acknowledging IVI JSC as a private organization. However, the Almaty City Court later ruled that the building was state property, siding with IVI JSC.

This left Dom 36, in limbo for six months, with mounting debts to IVI JSC. By January’s end, the outstanding amount had reached 30 million tenge.

Despite the uncertainty, the Transforma Theater and several artist studios continued operating.

Their time is running out, though, as a court-ordered eviction is set for February 5.

We must comply with the court’s decision. But we’re using every legal deferment available. Our request for a deferment until April 15 — so we can at least stay through the winter — is currently in appellate court,  says Dauren Tyuleyev.

But the heating season in the building ended a week ago.

It happened at 17:59 on January 24, the coldest night, when it was -19. Our electricity and heating were cut off, and soon, our pipes burst. As it turned out, IVI JSC sent a letter to the utility services justifying the need to turn off the electricity and heat until February 23, citing 'repair work.' But there are no repairs,  says Tyuleyev.

Legally, this isn’t a violation — utilities must follow the property owner’s instructions.

But to Tyuleyev and the residents, this was an attempt to force them out sooner. 

Instead of surrendering, the artists are planning a defiant farewell. 

On the night of February 4-5, we propose hosting a pajama party here, and from February 5-6 - a party in the yard,  said Dauren Tyuleyev.

Meanwhile, the team is already searching for a new home.

The search has revealed that Almaty alone has 73 large properties — over 1,000 square meters each — that are either abandoned, misused, or disrepair.

Nationwide, they estimate that millions of square meters of quasi-public property sit idle.

Our goal is not 1,500 square meters, but 1,500 million square meters, says Tyuleyev, referring to bringing idle areas of the quasi-public sector out of the shadows.

According to Tyuleyev, the quasi-public sector operates in a legal gray area.

When convenient, its representatives act as private entities; when necessary, they claim government authority.

He argues that negotiations would have been more transparent if the Dom 36, had been under full state ownership — such as the Akimat.

At the press conference, representatives from Kazakhstan’s Alliance of Creative Industries echoed this sentiment, calling for unused quasi-public properties to be opened up for commercial and creative purposes.

They argue this would increase available rental space and lower the increasing lease prices due to the shortage of premises.

Original Author: Igor Ulitin