September reaches its peak with a series of events and new releases designed to inspire wonder and dread. From the first public showing of the Bayeux Tapestry in the United Kingdom for nearly a thousand years, through the provocative work of Maurizio Cattelan, to the spellbinding magic of the film "Practical Magic 2", this week's events offer a wealth of surprises and thrills.
There is also the release of a new album from English indie band "Bloc Party", along with a new dramatic television series for teenagers on Netflix that invites viewers to spend the evening wrapped in blankets, with a warm drink in one hand and the remote in the other.
At Berlin's Neue Nationalgalerie, Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan has become a lightning rod in the art world. From knives mounted on walls with duct tape, to life-sized sculptures depicting Hitler kneeling in prayer, to a fully functioning 18-karat gold toilet installed at the Guggenheim Museum, his works have proven divisive but often entertaining and inspiring, always challenging the status quo. A theme of tension between innocence and violence, and how to balance individual identity with collective concerns tied to historical memory, runs through his entire career. This is the focus of the Neue Nationalgalerie's latest exhibition, which features some of Cattelan's most significant works alongside new commissions displayed for the first time.
At the British Museum in London, the Bayeux Tapestry—a 70-metre work depicting events before the Battle of Hastings and the Norman conquest of England in 1066—has arrived after remaining unseen in Britain for nearly a thousand years. The tapestry was moved to the British Museum under an unprecedented agreement with France. The transfer has been described as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for visitors to see an extraordinary piece of medieval history representing one of the most defining moments in England's past. According to reports, the cost of transfer and display of the tapestry amounted to approximately 20 million euros for the United Kingdom, an investment that appears to have paid off given ticket sales so far.
A new exhibition titled "Timeless Tintoretto" featuring the work of Jacopo Robusti opens at the Musée Jacquemart-André in Paris on 11 September.
The iconic Owens sisters—played by Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman—return to the screen after 28 years since their first appearance in a film that has become a cherished classic for millennials who love Halloween. "Practical Magic 2" follows a centuries-old family curse: any man who falls in love with the witches is destined to die. Although the curse appears to have been broken at the end of the first film through the power of collective love, the new sequel deals with its apparent return, while Sally's daughter grapples with the consequences and discovers her own power. Based on Alice Hoffman's novel "The Book of Magic", the film takes viewers back to the nostalgic autumn feel of the 1990s: suburban streets, candlelit laughter, black cats in hand, and a cinematic world where fantasy reigns and women thrive.
A new documentary about Britpop band "Oasis" titled "Don't Look Back in Anger" launches on 11 September.
Netflix's new sports drama series "Rowing" follows the story of a talented teenage rower named Teagan Tao (Miko Martinno), who moves with her mother to a small town following a family scandal. After joining an all-boys private school rowing team as boat captain, she finds herself in uncharted waters, trying to adapt to being an outsider, facing inter-school competition, romantic drama, and the weight of emotional grief. In a nod to the atmosphere of late 2000s and early 2010s teen dramas, the series seems perfect for binge-watching as the evenings grow cooler.
An enticing new drama series on Apple TV Plus titled "Last Seen" features a police emergency call centre operator (Patrick Brammall) on a gruelling search for his missing daughter, available from 9 September.
"Anatomy of a Brief Romance", the seventh album from English indie band Bloc Party, arrives after a hiatus of nearly four and a half years since the release of their last controversial work "Alpha Games". During that period, much has happened, particularly in the life of lead vocalist Kele Okereke; following the end of an 11-year relationship, he became involved in a tumultuous love story with another person, whose intensity forms the core of the new album's lyrics. From the strong rhythms in "Coming on Strong" to the taut harmonies in "Love Bombs", each song takes listeners on a journey through the ups and downs of falling in love: from the joy of initial infatuation to bitter disappointment, and the difficult yet inevitable realisation.
English musician Simon Charles Green, known as "Bonobo", releases his eighth album titled "Distance in Static" on 11 September.
