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When I first heard that the Da Vinci Genius show was about to start during my short stay in Tallinn, I knew I had to see it. Leonardo da Vinci has always felt like a symbol of what human creativity can achieve when it’s left to roam free — an artist, a scientist, an inventor, and above all, a restless explorer. But this wasn’t just another exhibit behind glass panels. I had already visited the grand exhibition at the Louvre in 2019, marking 500 years since his passing, as well as another exhibition in Venice in 2024, where his paintings and models of inventions were displayed inside a church for visitors to see. Da Vinci Genius promised a full, multimedia immersion into his world, blending AI, digital art, and sound in a way that would allow us to step inside his imagination. I was curious — and a little skeptical. Could technology really bring Leonardo closer, or would it create even more distance?
Walking into the venue, it was clear from the start that this would be different. The room opened up into a vast, high-ceilinged space where projections covered every inch — walls, floor, even parts of the ceiling. There was no clear path to follow. Instead, the environment gently nudged you to wander, to look up, to look around, and to let your instincts guide you, much like a Renaissance explorer stepping into a new discovery. A large, dark cube sat at the heart of the space, radiating mystery, as shifting lights played across its surface.
