On October 22 at 6:00 PM, the opening of the joint exhibition “Those Who Come Closer” by the lecturers, alumni, and students of the Faculty of Arts will take place at the Vytautas Magnus University Art Gallery “101” (Muitinės St. 7, Kaunas).

The media art exhibition “Those Who Come Closer” is dedicated to celebrating the 150th anniversary of Mikalojus Konstantinas Čiurlionis. It seeks to rediscover the meanings in Čiurlionis’s art that continue to inspire contemporary creators by asking: What makes Čiurlionis relevant to artists today? The exhibition aims to highlight Čiurlionis within the academic community and to encourage artistic expression by including the creative works of the Vytautas Magnus University Faculty of Arts community—lecturers, alumni (professional artists), and students (emerging creators). The exhibition brings together the faculty’s creativity through diverse forms of media art and promotes collaboration inspired directly by Čiurlionis’s work, emphasizing the synthesis of the arts.

The exhibition’s concept and layout are inspired by Čiurlionis’s creative vision and invite visitors to journey from the depths (underground, darkness, past) toward the shore and sea (water, wind, waves, horizon, present) and finally to the sun (freedom, light, verticality, future). Following these motifs, a narrative and route are created that emphasize space and time, which are part of the official Čiurlionis Year program’s communication.

In the context of the exhibition, “Those Who Come Closer” refers to the artists united by the theme of Čiurlionis, who therefore become closer to one another. The phrase appears in Čiurlionis’s text “Psalmė” (Psalm) and symbolizes those who come closer in a procession. Thus, along the exhibition’s path—like a “procession”—walk both the artists and visitors, and the title itself shapes the structure of the exhibition by inviting one to move through its various sections. The exhibition features works of photography, video art, graphic art and design, illustration, animation, and sound art.

This is an educational exhibition, during which the artists had the opportunity to study Čiurlionis independently and to express or rediscover reflections of his art in their own works, thereby revealing a variety of symbolic interpretations.

The exhibition is part of the “Čiurlionis 150” program.

During the opening, students of the VMU Music Academy—Gabrielė Lekaitė, Mykolas Mikšys, Liepa Dabriškaitė, Paulius Katiliavas, and pianist Domantė Matulevičiūtė—from the classes of Prof. Sabina Martinaitytė and Prof. Audronė Eitmanavičiūtė, will perform the concert program “Sonata of Souls: In the Light of Čiurlionis.”

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EVENT INFORMATION

Date: October 22 – December 22, 2025

Opening: October 22, 2025, 6:00 PM

Venue: VMU Art Gallery "101"

Address: Muitinės st. 7, Kaunas

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ORGANIZER

Vytautas Magnus University Art Gallery "101"

Contact: galerija101@gmail.com

Exhibition "Those Who Walk Closer"

Exhibition "Those Who Walk Closer"

Exhibition "Those Who Walk Closer"

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