We invite you on June 12th 16:00-19:00 to be a part of CULTURAL RHYTHMS 2025 / REFUGEE WEEK opening at the National Art Gallery.
Visitors will be welcomed with an artistic performance, presentations on relevant migration and culture topics, as well as a discussion with representatives from these sectors about how open our society truly is and what impact culture and art can have.
Program:
16:00-16:30 Inclusive Art Performance by Marina Pilipenko & Opening
16:30-17:00 Keynote: Bart de Nil ,,Culture Organizations as Safe Spaces”
17:00-18:00 Discussion ‘Rethinking the Impact of Culture on Refugee Inclusion’
Registration:here
Everyone loves to talk about inclusion. But when it comes to refugees, migrants, and people from different backgrounds, what does openness really look like? This conversation doesn’t shy away from hard questions: Are our institutions truly welcoming, or are we just performing progress?
Together with four speakers from diverse backgrounds, we’ll challenge the invisible (and visible) barriers that keep cultural spaces selective. We’ll unpack what actually works – and what just looks good on paper.
How do we move beyond control and symbolic gestures? How can we stop “inviting guests” and start co-creating with newcomers from day one?
This discussion is for cultural workers, managers, and community leaders who are ready to rethink their role – not just as hosts, but as collaborators in building spaces where everyone, truly everyone, belongs.
▪️ Performance ▪️
Marina Pilipenko, a maestro in crafting emotional intelligence through sound, will propose a mind-bending symbolic experiment. It’s designed to push participants to really get how we connect and blend together. Marina makes it crystal clear – this isn’t about making music. It’s about using sound as a raw metaphor for how we act and react. Having cracked the code of integration herself in Lithuania, she draws on her own journey. This experiment isn’t just a concept; it’s a real-time experience of unity in diversity.
▪️ Keynote ▪️
Bart de Nil – PhD researcher, between University College London Arts & Sciences and Information Studies, Bart explores public libraries as social infrastructure for creative health. The past decade has been leading developments in culturally mediated wellbeing in Flanders, Belgium and internationally. An important part of his practice is how cultural institutions can support refugees. He was curator of the ‘International Conference Culture & Mental Health: Refugees’
▪️ Discussion ▪️
Aistė Ulubey – Founder and CEO of the arts agency Artscape. Through her agency, she has built extensive experience in the cultural and arts industries and has spent over a decade fostering the integration of professional art and its diverse forms within a social context. Artscape champions equal participation in cultural and public life, promoting creativity while encouraging cultural institutions to actively engage in migrant integration processes. Aistė’s work focuses on art, inclusion, cultural dialogue, and diversity.
Asta Volungė – Curator of educational and social projects. While at the Kaunas Artists’ House, Asta led cultural education programs for socially marginalized groups, curating projects focused on inclusion/exclusion, emotional health, and identity. She is an expert in social inclusion through cultural practices for the Lithuanian Council for Culture.
Kadim Mazin – an Iraqi Oud player living in Vilnius. The Oud, a traditional, and soulful Arabic instrument, holds deep historical significance across various cultures. In his performances he presents pieces that reflect the shared musical heritage of many nations – Iraq, Palestine, Egypt, Turkey and Greece; transcending artificial boundaries and illustrating the universal language of music.
Moderator: Marius Eidukonis
Event is english.
Free entrance.
From June 12 to 20, the largest festival in the Baltics celebrating the enrichment of refugees to our communities returns to Lithuanian cities – CULTURAL RHYTHMS. The arts agency Artscape invites you to a week-long marathon of events dedicated to refugee voices and creativity.
Organizers: Arts Agency ARTSCAPE
Partners: United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR), Reception and Integration Agency
Friends: National Gallery of Art, Energy and Technology Museum
The festival is partially funded by the Lithuanian Council for Culture
June 1, 2025
