Cultural Alleys is a non-profit organisation based in Lithuania, officially established in 2025. The organisation operates at the intersection of artistic practice, academic inquiry, and community engagement, fostering collaborative projects with artists, researchers, and cultural practitioners across disciplines.
Our work is grounded in the understanding that culture is a lived, dynamic relational process of complex web of shared symbols, meanings, and norms within a social collective, shaped by historical and existential contexts.
Through this perspective, Cultural Alleys develops initiatives that integrate creative methodologies with critical reflection to address contemporary social, individual, cultural, and environmental challenges.
Team members
Board members
Viktoria Kostova
she/her
Viktoria Kostova is a project manager and fundraising specialist with extensive experience supporting national and international organizations in the cultural and civil society sectors.
She has been part of the Elizabeth Kostova Foundation team since 2019 and is currently also collaborating with European Alternatives—a transnational organization dedicated to building a fairer future through democratic innovation and the promotion of human rights. Viktoria is also an active member of the Imaginative Choreographic Center (ICC) team. She holds a Master's in Management of Creative Industries and Cultural Institutions from the New Bulgarian University and a Bachelor's in Journalism from Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski.” She is an alumna of the “Marcel Hicter” Foundation's Diploma in Cultural Project Management programme and has also completed specialized training in cultural management through the Goethe-Institut, the Festival Academy, ISPM, and others. Over the years, she has collaborated with ONE Foundation for Culture and Arts, DA LAB Foundation, Fjordefestivalen, and numerous other initiatives at the intersection of culture, art, and civic engagement.
Shant Bayramian
he/him
Shant Bayramian is a lecturer, researcher, and audiovisual essayist passionate about the power of film, immersive media (XR), and emerging technologies to transform education, society, and the creative industries.
Shant currently lectures and manages emerging tech projects at Inholland University of Applied Sciences. As founder of The Audiovisual Essayist, he has produced and presented over 20 videographic works with 100,000+ combined online views in addition to presentations at international universities, conferences, and film festivals. With an internationally rooted perspective, Shant builds bridges between media and cultural theory, creative practice, and emerging technologies to shape meaningful educational and cultural change.
Shabnam Seyf Aghayi
she/her
Shabnam Seyf is a teacher and science communicator with a bachelor's degree in Economics.
She has a strong interest in learning, creativity, and effective communication, and focuses on connecting ideas across different disciplines. Her work centers on improving the quality of education and introducing new approaches to support students' learning and understanding. She is passionate about making complex scientific and educational concepts accessible to broader audiences and inspiring curiosity through storytelling, visual design, and interdisciplinary thinking.
Martina Vyšniauskaitė
she/her
Martina is specializing in Primary Education and linguistics learning that integrates technology.
With her research focusing on education that is inclusive, she focuses on methods utilizing technological tools to enhance learning experiences. Martina in her works is passionate about creating environments that elevate voices often neglected. Her work also advocates for LGBTQIA+ rights, mental health awareness, and gender & racial equality. She strives to foster a more equitable and supportive learning community for everyone.
Povilas Mikalauskas
he/him
Povilas is an academic historian currently pursuing a PhD focused on the perception of foreign lands among Europeans during the 16th and 17th centuries.
He holds the Master's degree in Medieval European History from Cambridge University, United Kingdom. His keen research interest is the mental images that formed within national societies and how these perceptions functioned during the periods of 16th and 17th centuries. In addition to his academic pursuits, Povilas possesses extensive experience working with various history and cultural organisations.
Abhishek Chauhan
he/him
Abhishek Chauhan is a multidisciplinary researcher and cultural practitioner dedicated to examining the intersections of memory, identity, and cultural expression.
With a background in political science and extensive lived experiences across various cultures, he brings a humanist perspective to his work, rooted in in-depth understandings, frames of references, and context. For over 7+ years, Abhishek has worked with various non-profit/civil society as well as research organisations. As a systems thinker, he actively creates both grassroots and institutional projects, fostering meaningful connections and insights. He’s responsible for developing the overall ecosystem for Cultural Alleys.