The best things to do, hear, see or watch in Europe this week

Art Basel Paris 2024, demonic smiles, Barcelona Design Week and a new EP from Bon Iver – here is the best of what’s happening in Europe this week.

While the death of One Direction’s Liam Payne has cast a long shadow over the week – we’ll be listening to ‘Night Changes’ on repeat in his honour – the world continues to spin with distractions.
From the return of demonic grinning humans in Smile 2 to a new EP from woodland warbler Bon Iver and one of the world’s leading art fairs, Art Basel Paris – there’s a lot to digest (or dodge if you don’t like horror).
The Lumière Film Festival in Lyon also continues until 20 October and we’ve been on the ground meeting some of its star attendees, including Vanessa Paradis and Benicio Del Toro, who ran a masterclass last week. The BFI’s London Film Festival is also coming to a close – grab some last minute tickets if you can, the line-up has been stellar.
Until next week, enjoy!
‘Hew Locke: What Have We Here?’ at the British Museum (London, UK)
This fierce and fascinating new exhibition from Guyanese-British artist Hew Locke casts a critical eye over the British Museum’s collection of artefacts (an establishment that has faced growing criticism in recent years). On until 9 February 2025, more than 150 objects (the majority from the British Museum) are reframed by Locke to examine their ties to the British empire and colonialism, unravelling the knotty relationship between museums and institutional corruption. Uncomfortable but important, it brings to light much-needed discussions in a space that needs to confront them most.
‘Human, Prix Pictet’ at Cercle Cité’s Ratskeller (Luxembourg City, Luxembourg)
One of our most anticipated autumn exhibitions, ‘Human, Prix Pictet’ showcases the work of 12 renowned Prix Pictet shortlisted photographers under the theme of ‘Human’. This year’s winner is Indian photographer Gauri Gill, whose powerful images document over two decades of life in rural Rajasthan, India. Another highlight is Icelandic photographer Ragnar Axelsson’s study of Indigenous peoples living on the edge of habitable lands. Having only just opened, catch this moving and powerfully perspective-altering display of humanity until 19 January 2025.
‘Art Basel Paris 2024’ (France)
Autumn is jam-packed with some of the world’s most anticipated cultural events – Art Basel is one of them. Fresh off the back of London’s Frieze, it’s one of the world’s leading international art fairs that originated – as its name suggests – in Switzerland, but has since expanded across the world, with its Paris counterpart beginning in 2022 and now hosted at the Grand Palais Éphémère. As with all art fairs, there’s a lot to sift through (195 exhibitors, to be exact). Handily, we’ve put together a preview of highlights here.
‘Barcelona Design Week’ (Spain)
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Now in its 19th edition, Barcelona Design Week is a design-enthusiasts dream in a location renowned for its iconic Gothic and contemporary architecture. Until 26 October there will be more than 140 inspiring events across the city, including exhibitions, talks, workshops and fun things like a participatory experience called ‘Disseny en Diagonal’, which sees the Avinguda Diagonal avenue transformed into a space for connecting with others and expressing creativity. The theme is ‘Design for Human Future’, putting sustainability and innovative solutions at the core. Find out more here.
‘Hamrun chocolate festival 2024’ (Malta)
Last week it was onions, this week: chocolate. Taking place on the evening of 19 October, the city of Hamrun becomes a Willy Wonka-esque emporium of pure imagination and sweet-toothed sensations. There’s the opportunity to eat chocolate, learn about the history of chocolate, face paint with chocolate and marvel at magnificent chocolate sculptures. It’s a chocoholics dream, basically. But that’s not all – there’s also a costume procession, traditional folk music and arts and crafts exhibitions. Go forth and live deliciously.
‘Smile 2’
The genius of the Smile films is how they’ve tapped into such a simple yet truly terrifying concept: a human being with a stretched frozen grin and maniacal stare. It’s at once confusing and horrifying, an expression that should be suggestive of friendliness contorted into menacing evil that, in this case, represents a curse that spreads from person to person in a similar unsettling vein to It Follows (although not sexually transmitted!) The sequel sees pop star Skye Riley (Naomi Scott) inflicted while on a world tour, those around her suddenly smiling before violently killing themselves, forcing her to confront past traumas. Read our full review here.
‘Rome Film Festival’ (Italy)
Film festival season remains in full swing, with the 19th edition of the Rome Film Fest underway until 27 October. Hosted at the Auditorium Parco della Musica (outside of which is one of the largest red carpets in the world), there’s an eclectic line-up of films showing, including some of our favourites like The Substance, Emilia Pérez, Anora and On Becoming a Guinea Fowl. There’s also a sidebar dedicated to younger filmmakers and fans, while collaborative cultural events take place across the rest of the city. Take a look at the full programme here.
‘The Office Australia’ (Prime Video)
Yes, it’s yet another reboot of Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant’s classic noughties Slough-set sitcom – this time in Australia, post-Covid, and with a woman taking on the David Brent role as bad boss Hannah Howard (Felicity Ward). While the success of the American version starring Steve Carell proved, astoundingly, that it is possible to re-make a British black comedy series across the pond and reinvent the humour in a way that isn’t awful, this version feels… A little unnecessary. Its fresh but flat ideas seem to deplete the core cringe of the show. Still, for fans of both the UK and US series (who undoubtedly rewatch them continuously) this provides a hit of the familiar with something new.
Bon Iver: ‘SABLE, EP’
Oh, how we’ve missed Justin Vernon. It’s been five years since the Bon Iver frontman released his album ‘i, i’ – although he hasn’t exactly been absent during that time, collaborating with everyone from Taylor Swift to The National to Charli XCX. His new EP ‘SABLE’ is just three tracks, but in those three tracks is years’ worth of feelings. It’s a raw and incredibly vulnerable output that meanders melancholically through a state of troubling reflections towards self-acceptance and hope. Read our full review here.