Fantastic female art, a 90s-style serial killer thriller and Eminem’s return – here’s what to do, see and hear this week in Europe.
Most of you reading this are probably all set for weekend plans: watching the Euros 2024 final. But it’s not until Sunday evening, so that still leaves the rest of the weekend (and upcoming week) wide open for distraction.
From a Barbie exhibition at London’s Design museum to a nightmarish Nicolas Cage in Longlegs, there’s plenty to celebrate (or commiserate) with in this week’s cultural round-up. We even have some agave-based cocktail suggestions to forget that the beginning of the end might very well kickstart in 2025 – cheers!
Exhibitions
‘Her Alchemy’ at HOFA Gallery (London, UK)
Displaying 13 international female artists from 10 different countries, this is HOFA Gallery’s (House of Fine Art) biggest collection of female artists ever. These include Ayobola Kekere-ekun, Jade Ching-yuk Ng, Orlanda Broom and Wang Ziling as headlining artists. Through bringing together such a diverse range of artists, the exhibition hopes to reflect all the different ways in which our cultural perspectives are shaped by our environments. See it until 25 July 2024.
‘Frans Hals’ exhibition at the Gemäldegalerie (Berlin, Germany)
One of the very earliest painters to capture true joy on canvas, 17th century Dutch master Frans Hals became best known for his portraiture depicting laughter and merriment. He also often used those struggling within or shunned by society as subjects, including artists, prostitutes, beggars, fishermen and children. “He was the first painter to depict these people in life-size and to present them as individuals,” Dagmar Hirschfelder, director of the Gemäldegalerie, told AP.
Following a successful Amsterdam-based exhibition on the painter earlier this year, this Gemäldegalerie one hopes to bring more recognition of the artist to the German public, running until 3 November 2024.
‘When We See Us’ at the Kunstmuseum (Basel, Switzerland)
Organised around six themes – The Everyday, Joy and Revelry, Repose, Sensuality, Spirituality, and Triumph and Emancipation – ‘When We See Us’ is a remarkable exploration of Black joy in all its different, everyday manifestations. There are over 150 works to see, created by both prominent and emerging talents in the African art scene. It’s the first time an exhibition of African art on such a large scale has ever been shown in Europe, arriving from South Africa to its temporary home in Switzerland, where it’s on until 27 October 2024.
Movies
Longlegs
One of the most highly-anticipated horror movies of the year, Longlegs is about an FBI Agent (Maika Monroe) assigned to decipher a series of murders by someone named Longlegs (Nicolas Cage). Set in the 90s and echoing the gloomy, Gotham-esque feel of movies like David Fincher’s Se7en, Oz Perkins reportedly wrote the film as an ode to his mother (the actress Berry Berenson), tackling the subject of parental lies and how they can blossom into generational trauma, even if told with the intention of protection. Still, much of the film has somehow managed to remain a mystery – despite an extensive viral marketing campaign from its producers, Neon.
The best movies of 2024… So far
Now that we’re over half way through the year, it’s about that time again where we reflect on 2024’s cultural highlights so far. First up: movies. From festival favourites like Yorgos Lanthimos’ Kinds of Kindness and Rose Glass’s Love Lies Bleeding, to big budget sci-fi epics like Dune: Part Two, check out our full list here – and let us know how many you’ve seen over on our social channels @euronewsculture.
TV Shows
Sunny (Apple TV+)
Artificial intelligence (AI) has always been a key part of sci-fi, but it feels like its involvement in movies and TV shows has really ramped up in the past year or so – since the advent of ChatGPT and the like. In Apple TV+’s new show, it takes the form of a cute, glow-faced robot named Sunny, who arrives on the Tokyo doorstep of a grieving Suzie Sakamoto (Rashida Jones). Sakamoto quickly finds out this mysterious bot was actually made by her late husband, who, alongside her son, reportedly disappeared following a fatal plan crash. Darkly comedic and deeply emotional, Sunny is a unique new spin on the potential complexities of an AI-fuelled future.
Music
Eminem: ‘The Death of Slim Shady’
Guess who’s back, back again… Not Slim Shady – he’s “dead”, according to the album title of Eminem’s new album. The 51-year-old rapper, whose real name is Marshal Mathers, released his single ‘Houdini’ last month, which samples the 1982 hit ‘Abracadabra’ by Steve Miller Band. This is his first new album since 2020’s ‘Music to Be Murdered By’.
Bonus: Katy Perry has announced her first new album since 2020, ‘143’, which is due to be released in September. She also shared its first single: ‘Woman’s World’. Check out the music video here.