Welcome back for another round of recommendations.
It’s a big week for new TV series, including HBO’s Euphoria and Disney +’s Testaments – but exhibitions on Francis Bacon and Veronica Ryan should, along with a revival of Pina Bausch’s ‘Kontakthof’, be enough to entice you outdoors.
Finish scoffing those leftover Easter eggs, peel yourself from the sofa, and prepare to add the following to this week’s diary.
Exhibitions
Francis Bacon
When: 11 April – 30 May 2026
Where: Gagosian (Paris, France)
Francis Bacon’s unsettling portraits have inspired everyone from David Lynch to Damien Hirst – but it was Paris that inspired the artist himself. After moving to the city in his later years, he fully immersed himself in the creative and cosmopolitan culture. These experiences helped shape his future works, including 1986’s ‘Study from the Human Body’ and 1989-90’s ‘Man at a Washbasin’. Striking in their use of vibrant colours, they’re a departure from Bacon’s usual darker palettes – and offer a rare opportunity to understand the artist from a different perspective. Find out more here.
Veronica Ryan: Multiple Conversations
When: Until 14 June 2026
Where: Whitechapel Gallery (London, UK)
Turner Prize-winning British artist Veronica Ryan has forged a career through meticulously transforming natural materials into thought-provoking installations. From bronze magnolia seed pods to cardboard avocado trays, her latest exhibition sees the world rearranged; mundane objects given meaning and hope through abstraction. They also stir important reflections on identity, displacement and capitalistic destruction that feel both universal – and deeply personal. Find out more here.
Bonus highlight: ‘Queen Elizabeth II: Her Life in Style’ opens at King’s Gallery from 10 April until 8 October 2026.
Events
Pina Bausch / Meryl Tankard Kontakthof – Echoes of ’78
When: 7 – 11 April
Where: Sadler’s Wells Theatre (London, UK)
First premiering in 1978, ‘Kontakthof’ remains one of Pina Bausch’s most legendary works. Roughly translating to ‘courtyard of contact’, it explores the nuanced push and pull of relationships – sometimes delicate, other times devastating.It also arrived during a transitional time for the pioneering German choreographer, when her works were suddenly generating international acclaim. Almost 50 years later, London’s Sadler’s Wells theatre is presenting the show once again, this time choreographed by Meryl Tankard, who also appeared in the original performances. Nine other original dancers will also return, allowing those that couldn’t attend the original to glimpse some of its original magic across generations. Find out more here.
Bonus highlight: Art Paris, one of Europe’s leading art fairs, takes place from 9-12 April at the Grand Palais in Paris.
Movies
Father Mother Sister Brother
Where: UK Cinemas and MUBI
When: 10 April
A darkly comic dissection of family relationships, Jim Jarmusch’s Father Mother Sister Brother is a return to his anthology format – and also won the coveted Golden Lion award at last year’s Venice Film Festival. Featuring an all-star cast of Tom Waits, Adam Driver, Mayim Bialik, Charlotte Rampling and Cate Blanchett, it follows the estrangements between adult children and their parents across three three different families and countries. Our film critic David Mouriquand called it “a charming film that teases profundity concealed in simplicity, but one which stumbles at the final hurdle.” Read his full review here.
Bonus highlight: California Schemin’, based on the true story of Scottish hip-hop band Silibil N’ Brains who posed as Americans, is released in select cinemas from 10 April.
TV series
Euphoria
Where: HBO Max
When: 12 April
After more than four years, Sam Levinson’s ultra-aesthetic series about troubled teens is returning for a third series. Picking up five years after the last episode, we’re reunited with familiar leads Rue (Zendaya), Cassie (Sydney Sweeney) and Nate (Jacob Elordi) as they enter adulthood – and continue to be haunted by the traumas of their past. Expect dramatic weddings, sugar daddies, and angry drug dealers in what will be, according to Levinson, the show’s “best season yet”.
Bonus highlights: 20 years after its finale, sitcom fave Malcolm in the Middle returns for a miniseries reunion called ‘Life’s Still Unfair’ – available on Disney+ from 10 April. The Testaments, a sequel to the critically acclaimed The Handmaid’s Tale series, also streams on Disney+ from 8 April.
Music
WU LYF: A Wave That Will Never Break
When: 10 April
In an age of endless social media overshares and constant new releases, rock band WU LYF (World Unite Lucifer Youth Foundation) remain an intriguing anomaly. After gaining attention in 2008, they refused to do any interviews – releasing just one studio album, ‘Go Tell Fire to the Mountain’, before disbanding in 2012. Since reforming last year, they have maintained this mysterious presence, opting out of social media with the knowledge that their anonymity encourages more fascination. Even the release of their new album goes against traditional routes, due to be released independently via their L Y F community platform. For this reason, it feels a bit like discovering a secret – tinged with the ’90s nostalgia of finding a dusty old tape in a stranger’s basement. Death to streaming services, long live community art!
Bonus highlight: Indie musician Mei Semones, known for her unique jazz-infused sound, releases her sophomore album ‘Kurage’ on 10 April.