The jubilee year of Mikolaj Konstantinas Čiurlionis in Lithuania has prompted a fresh look at the artist’s work and its dissemination today. One of the most striking contemporary attempts is the virtual reality experience “Creation of the Worlds”, which was last week recognised in the “Travel Lithuania” election “Tourism’s Most Successful 2025”. It was awarded the title of Tourism Project of the Year for promoting Lithuania abroad, according to a press release.

In one year, the VR experience has become not only an exceptional cultural phenomenon, but also a successful export product for Lithuania – it has already been seen by more than 150 thousand people in Lithuania and abroad, and the project itself has been presented at prestigious international festivals and art platforms.

“This award shows that culture and technology can not only create a strong emotional experience, but also make a real contribution to spreading Lithuania’s name around the world. Čiurlionis’ work becomes a universal language through virtual reality, understandable in different countries,” says Lukas Verpetinskas, Strategic Producer of Creation of the Worlds in Lithuania.

International recognition and spreading the Lithuanian name

Although the VR experience currently has four permanent locations – in Vilnius, Kaunas, Klaipėda and Druskininkai – it is actively travelling around the country. In total, the project has visited more than 70 cities and towns in 2025, from the largest to the smallest regional locations.

“Cultural events in the regions are often still viewed with scepticism, but our experience shows the opposite – people there not only want culture, they expect it. Sometimes mobile locations are equal to or even surpass the capital in terms of attendance,” says Verpetinskas.

But Lithuania is not the only country. The project was selected among the best at the European XR Awards in Belgium, won the Best Design and Audience Choice awards at the Art*VR festival in the Czech Republic, and was presented at the Venice Film Festival and the Geneva International Film Festival.

“We are delighted that last year the VR experience directed by Kristina Buožytė and Vitalius Žukas was also included in the prestigious Venice Immersive festival programme – it is the only project from Lithuania representing the country’s art to a global audience,” notes L. Verpetinskas.

According to him, the project proved that Lithuanian culture can not only be preserved, but also actively exported, and that technology becomes a bridge between national heritage and a global audience.

Not entertainment, but culture for a new generation

According to Verpetinskas, virtual reality is changing the very model of the art experience – the viewer becomes an active participant, and technology acts as a partner of the creative process, not an add-on.

“Technology is advancing faster than ever. Today, it is increasingly becoming not just a tool, but also a creative partner. This means that art is no longer limited to the canvas, the stage or sheet music. We now have the opportunity to create spaces that can be entered, emotions that can be not only heard but also felt through sight, smell and movement,” he says.

According to L.Verpetinskas, VR works become a kind of therapeutic experience. It is a kind of experience where you can wipe away a tear, touch the art and experience emotions that last a long time. “The most important thing is that we don’t lose touch with the original. On the contrary, we expand its possibilities. Together with these virtual reality experiences, the work of M.K. Čiurlionis becomes accessible to an even wider audience, including those who do not go to exhibitions, who may live abroad, or who may not have heard of the famous artist’s name at all.

According to the strategic producer for the development, the experience of art gives rise not only to emotions, but also to the desire to share – to support, to be together and to respond to the world beyond the virtual space. That is why the project also raised support for Ukraine’s victory in the war.

“We also collaborated with Rimantas Kaukėnas’ support group “Little Heroes”, giving children in Vilnius and Kaunas an exclusive opportunity to immerse themselves in the world of M. K. Čiurlionis’ work through virtual reality,” says one of the project’s implementers.