Lilija Valatkienė is a well-known Lithuanian journalist, photographer, artist, and acclaimed creator of art, who has been awarded the Lithuanian Ministry of Culture’s Medal of Honor “Carry Your Light and Believe,” the Medal “For Merits in Journalism,” and the Silver Medal of Grand Duke Vytautas the Great. She earned a master’s degree in journalism from Vilnius University. She worked for many years in the field of investigative journalism and later devoted herself fully to the visual arts—photography and painting.

L. Valatkienė is a member of the Council of the Lithuanian Artists’ Union (LDS) and chair of the Interdisciplinary Artists’ Section. The artist has held nearly 50 solo exhibitions and participated in ten collaborative projects. Valatkienė is also an organizer and curator of cultural projects.