Out of office: What the Wallpaper* editors are looking forward to in August

In our monthly series, we highlight the products, places and experiences we’ve bookmarked – and that you won’t want to miss.

The gallery circuit may be your best ally for escaping the ongoing London heatwave. Fortunately, August’s art calendar offers plenty of respite: from War Child’s Secret 7" project at 180 Studios, where seven musicians each press a track onto 100 vinyls and artists create a one-of-a-kind sleeve for every copy, to John Currin’s women with exaggerated physiques, set against Arcadian backdrops on Savile Row. When you get to lunch, skip the stuffy à la carte marathon – the snack of the summer is the Nepalese momo.

Escaped the city instead? A wise decision. We’re headed to Bali, where the Jia Curated architectural showcase takes over throughout August, and to Puglia, where festival season goes folkloric at La Notte della Taranta. If New York is on your radar, the season’s breakout star is Flaco, Central Park’s famously resilient escaped owl, now the subject of his own documentary, playing in select (air-conditioned) theatres.

The exhibitions: Secret 7”, ‘Portrait of a City’, John Currin

Hannah Silver, art, culture, watches & jewellery editor

August is a great month to enjoy exhibitions usually missed due to the normal hectic schedule. Take this pause before the back-to-school chaos of September and the frantic run-up to Christmas (too early?) to catch some quieter yet brilliant London shows. I'm particularly looking forward to War Child's exhibition of 7" sleeve designs by artists including Clare Twomey, Thierry Noir, Murugiah and Orlando Weeks, which sits nicely at the intersection of music and art. Elsewhere, 'Portrait of a City: A Century of American Photography' at Dulwich Picture Gallery promises to be a beautiful documentation of American urban life, and I hope to finally catch John Currin's masterful paintings at Sadie Coles.

The Secret 7" 2026 sleeves will be displayed at 180 Studios from 18-30 August

Portrait of a City: A Century of American Photography' runs at Dulwich Picture Gallery until 4 October

John Currin: Opening Credits' runs at Sadie Coles until 12 September

The pick-me-up: ‘Wild Inside’

Anna Fixsen, US editor

Everyone and their brother seems to be gushing about The Odyssey, but my summer to-watch list is topped by a different epic: a documentary chronicling the life of Flaco, an intrepid Eurasian eagle-owl who escaped his enclosure at the Central Park Zoo. Flaco, who was born and raised in captivity, went on the lam in February 2023. No one expected him to survive the mean streets of Manhattan – let alone fly and learn how to hunt. But Flaco defied expectations (and capture), going on to become a metaphor for a specific kind of New York City grit and resilience.

Award-winning filmmaker Penny Lane recounts the Flaco story in Wild Inside, a 90-minute film about the avian phenom and his against-the-odds transition into a wild creature. (I myself, during long summer runs in Central Park, would pause to search for Flaco in his favoured oak tree.) This documentary is heartfelt, sure (animal lovers may want to bring a hanky), but it touches on something bigger than New York’s orange-eyed feathered friend – the delicate boundary that divides our built environment and the natural world. Catch Wild Inside in select theatres beginning 31 July.

The music festival: La Notte della Taranta

Gabriel Annouka, art editor

Forget beach clubs: this August, I'm heading to Puglia for La Notte della Taranta, where the best summer nights happen in small Italian towns rather than crowded resorts. I’m dreaming of hypnotic tambourines, a sea of people dancing pizzica, and a night in Melpignano with Ermal Meta at the helm of this year’s legendary Concertone.

La Notte della Taranta runs until August 23, with 20 stops in different towns across Salento

The dish: Momo

Anna Solomon, digital staff writer

Our art editor swears by House of Momo, the Dalston Nepalese spot known for its half-moon dumplings stuffed with minced meat or vegetables and served with a fiery dipping sauce. A staple across Tibet and the Himalayan region, momo has recently cooked up a reputation as one of London's most satisfying snacks.

So when I heard that Eat Momo – the no-frills Borough Yards canteen founded by sisters Trishna and Dipa Chamling as a tribute to the food they grew up with – had set up shop at my local pub in Leyton, I decided to check it out. Try these pillowy pockets of goodness at Coach and Horses on Leyton High Road, where they’re in residency for the foreseeable future.

The cultural event: Jia Curated

Ellie Stathaki, architecture & environment director

If I were going to Bali this summer – I am sadly not! – I'd love to visit Jia Curated, the Bali-based annual gathering founded in 2022 by Budiman Ong, Rudi Winata and Yang Yang Hartono. This year's theme is 'Nature Weave', and, fuelled by the festival's community spirit, one of its architectural offerings, 'Architecture in Scale', zooms in on the work of a selection of architecture studios that consistently weave biophilia into their practice. The exhibition includes 25 models from studios across Indonesia, Singapore, Taiwan and Japan, including Kengo Kuma + Associates, Andramatin, Elora Hardy's Ibuku Studio and Cheng Tsung Feng. A Wallpaper* story by our Singapore editor Daven Wu will follow later this month. Watch this space.

Jia Curated 2026 runs from 13-17 August at Pengembak Beach, Sanur, Bali