Breathe a big old sigh of relief: We made it through January.
While the first month of the year is notoriously quiet, February is when things really start to pick up. There's the Berlin Film Festival, the Winter Olympics in Italy, and even a Lemon Festival in France!
We're also due some landmark exhibitions, starting with an expansive deep-dive into the history of samurais at London's British Museum. Elsewhere, the Centre Pompidou Metz is hosting a retrospective of sculptor Louise Nevelson's works, while Art Basel Qatar will finally mark its debut.
Whether you're craving horror or historical-themed laughs, rest assured - this week's recommendations are extra bulky.
Grab your diary and let's get started.
Exhibitions
Samurai
When: 3 February - 4 May 2026
Where: The British Museum (London, UK)
Within fiction, few figures are as formidable and fascinating as the samurai. Symbolic of great skill, sacrifice and bravery, they represent a version of time and culture that revolved around honour. Much of these ideas, however, are not based in reality; grandiose re-tellings shrouding a deeply nuanced Japanese history. From the evolutions of various warrior classes, to their political, artistic and educational pursuits, the British Museum's new landmark exhibition compellingly unravels myths - and reveals truths about the men (and women) behind the swords.
Louise Nevelson: Mrs. N's Palace
When: Until 31 August 2026
Where: Centre Pompidou Metz (Metz, France)
Almost 38 years after her death, the iconic 20th-century sculptor Louise Nevelson's works continue to inspire, influence and offer new perspectives on key artistic movements. Best known for her transformations of urban debris into complex, monochromatic wall structures, she was a pioneer of bringing ambitious sculptural projects into accessible gallery spaces. These works continue to echo in everything from contemporary art to fashion, something the Centre Pompidou Metz reflects on in this detailed re-discovery of her career.
Takesada Matsutani: Shifting Boundaries
When: 5 February – 18 April 2026
Where: Hauser & Wirth London (UK)
The last living member of the Gutai Art Association, a pivotal post war Japanese collective, Takesada Matsutani's avant-garde creations still hold an indelible impact on culture. By utilising natural elements like wind and his own breath, Matsutani transformed his artistic materials into bulbous black shapes that seemed to expand across blank spaces, capturing both the fluidity and nothingness of life. While his techniques and output have changed over time, the feelings his work's evoke remain just as powerful. Marking his his first London exhibition in a decade, Hauser & Wirth are offering a unique opportunity to view Matsutani's greatest works, including the 1988 sculpture 'The Magic Box', and the artist's new experimentations with glue.
Bonus highlight: The inaugural Art Basel Qatar is due to take place from 5 - 7 February. Find out more about it in our list of other upcoming exhibitions and events this year.
Events
Art Laughs
When: 7 February 2026
Where: Prince Philip Maritime Collections Centre (London, UK)
Viewing art is great, but do you know what's even greater? Viewing art while being made to chuckle. Cue 'Art Laughs', a tour of the UK's largest maritime collection by comedian and art historian Verity Babbs. From intricate timekeepers to polar exploration relics, every object on show has a weird and wonderful history behind it - one made all the more memorable with Babbs' humorous spin. Improv artists Josie Peters, Aman Arya and Billy Morton will perform also, followed by a panel discussion at the end of the night. Find tickets here.
Bonus highlight: Hana Sakai and Toshiki Okada's contemporary ballet, 'Giselle : A Summary' Wwill play at the Thalia Theater in Hamburg on 6 and 7 February.
Movies
The Strangers: Chapter 3
Where: Cinemas
When: 6 February
There's something uniquely terrifying about a home invasion movie. The thought of masked psychopaths turning up in the dead of night, tormenting you in the space you think you're safest in - it could really happen. This is the premise of The Strangers, a horror franchise that debuted in 2008 and has captivated gorehounds ever since. Its fifth instalment marks the third chapter of a new trilogy, starring Madelaine Petsch as Maya, who, since escaping the killers in both Chapter 1 and 2, is out to get her own back.
Bonus highlight: Melania, a documentary about the First Lady of the United States, is out in select theatres now. And in case you missed it, Chloé Zhao’s Shakespearean drama Hamnet is also still in cinemas and worth catching (along with all the other Oscar nominees!) Stay tuned for our full review of the film on Friday.
TV series
The 'Burbs
Where: Peacock
When: 8 February in the US, with a wider European release date due soon after
Based on Joe Dante's cult 1989 movie The 'Burbs, this new series throws viewers back into a cul-de-sac of curtain twitching paranoia. After couple Rob (Jack Whitehall) and Samira (Keke Palmer) move into the seemingly quiet suburb of Hinkley Hills, their idyllic life starts to spiral with the arrival of a strange new neighbour. As Rob becomes increasingly certain of something sinister taking place, he recruits his friends to investigate. A darkly comic contemporary take on the rot that lurks beneath classism and the American Dream, it's the ideal tonic for winter isolation.
Bonus highlight: For those that enjoy seeing things being satisfyingly sliced into, a Valentine’s special of Netflix’s popular series ‘Is It Cake?’ is available from 4 February.
Music
Beverly Glenn-Copeland: Laughter in Summer
When: 6 February
For more than 50 years, Canadian singer-songwriter Beverly Glenn-Copeland has been making music that's uniquely personal, blending genres to express the tender tangles of emotions. This latest album is their most vulnerable yet, a collaboration with Copeland's wife Elizabeth and exploration of his recent dementia diagnosis. In this sense, the album also plays like a collection of memories, its gentle recordings acknowledging the beauty and the grief of a life that's slipping away.
Bonus highlight: Indie rockers Ratboys are releasing their sixth studio album, 'Singin’ to an Empty Chair', on 6 February 2026.
