As August winds down, the cultural calendar across Europe is still brimming with late-summer offerings. While the days shorten, museums, cinemas and streaming platforms are rolling out a mix of retrospective exhibitions, mind-bending series and blockbuster films that should keep you engaged well into September.
Exhibitions: Rediscovering a Norwegian master
In Oslo, the National Museum is hosting “Asta Nørregaard: Truth and Beauty”, a comprehensive survey of one of Norway's most significant portrait painters from the late 19th century. After training in Germany, Nørregaard built a career that saw her depict everyone from fellow artist Edvard Munch to King Haakon VII. Her portraits are known for their delicate detail and pastel-hued personality, but the exhibition also highlights her sharp eye for fashion and her lesser-known religious works. For both admirers and newcomers, it's a chance to reassess the impact of an artist who has long been underappreciated. The show runs until 18 October.
Meanwhile, in Antwerp, the M HKA Museum of Contemporary Art presents Jürgen Addiers: “I Have No Idea What I Am Doing” (27 August – 20 September 2026). The title, suspended inside a sculpture of metal spheres hanging from the ceiling, is a phrase many of us can relate to. Addiers embraces the unknown as a form of freedom, where experimentation thrives and imagination can flourish. Through mixed media, absurd collages and abstract installations, he blends humour and doubt to acknowledge the strange juxtapositions of existence.
Film: Ridley Scott's post-apocalyptic thriller
In cinemas from 28 August, “The Dog Stars” is Ridley Scott's adaptation of Peter Heller's novel. Set after a virus has wiped out most of humanity, the story follows Hig (Jacob Elordi), a pilot who has taken refuge in an abandoned airport hangar with his dog and a weapon-wielding friend, Brangley (Josh Brolin). As they navigate a landscape of violent scavengers and personal trauma, a mysterious radio message sparks hope and sends Hig on a dangerous journey into the unknown. The cast also includes Margaret Qualley, Guy Pearce and Allison Janney.
Streaming: Dark Matter returns
On Apple TV+, the second season of “Dark Matter” arrives on 28 August. Based on Blake Crouch's 2016 bestseller, the series follows physicist Jason Dessen (Joel Edgerton), whose life is upended when he is abducted into an alternate reality. It's a meditation on existence, identity and the choices that shape our paths, using the multiverse as a metaphor for confronting deeper psychological fears. Season 2 ventures beyond the source material, cementing Apple TV+ as a leading force in sci-fi television.
Music: Interpol's introspective new album
American post-punk band Interpol release their eighth studio album, “This Mirror Weighs a Ton”, on 28 August. Following 2022's “The Other Side of Make-Believe”, the record layers intricate instrumentals, wandering harmonies and low-fi laments. It's a haunting collection that feels ambient and calm, like slipping into a gentle abyss, and it's among the band's most experimental efforts to date.
For those planning their cultural calendar, our guide to solar eclipse art offers a historical perspective, while our report on Rotterdam's peanut butter installation highlights the playful side of contemporary art. And if you're curious about the business of music, Spotify's new AI badges are worth a read.
As the summer sun slowly wanes, these selections provide plenty to get stuck into. Whether you're in Oslo, Antwerp, or following from afar, there's something to satisfy every cultural appetite.
