We bring you our guide to living well in the world’s capitals, from exhibitions to cinema, food, drink, fashion, music and beyond. Just call it culture and take it, it’s yours.

LONDON, FRIDAY 26th SEPTEMBER – SUNDAY 28th SEPTEMBER 2014

In Hollywood they’ll pay you a million dollars for a kiss and fifty cents for your soul.
As per we’re kicking it off with a filmic suggestion this week  in the form of David Cronenberg’s jaded hollywood satire Map To The Stars. Set amidst the high melodrama and anxiety-based dilemmas at the heart of Hollywood and one particularly dysfunctional family chasing celebrity, one another and the relentless ghosts of their pasts.

The cast includes starring Robert Pattinson, John Cusack and Julianne Moore, who takes the role of a psychotic mother, stuck far within her very own pharmaceutically-heightened hyper-reality to care about her thirteen year old son’s release from rehab. There’s Xanax haze, sociopathic outbursts and sex scenes aplenty. Well cheery!

Maps to the Stars, 212 mins, in cinemas now

Poetic Neons and reverberating Murano chandeliers  
If you’re over by Hyde park be sure to have a gander at ex-Derek Jarman assistant and Welsh art superstar Cerith Wyn Evan’s new solo show, encompassing the entire Serpentine Sackler Gallery. Expect to see wonderfully elaborated displays of light, sound and neon tube formed  poetry used to brilliantly transformative and yet intangible effect.
If you let yourself become immersed in the many imbuing reflections and echoes amongst Evans’ complex references you’ll sharp lose the stresses of the working week and become, well, that bit more enlightened yourself, right?

Cerith Wyn Evans, Serpentine Sackler Gallery, W Carriage Dr, London, W2 2AR
Until 9th November

Celebrity skin
If you’re in the mood for something less cerebrally involved yet still as culturally relevant and beautiful then a trip to the National Portrait gallery should tick the Saturday mid-afternoon box with a collection of Lord Snowdon’s eponymously-donated portraits, gifted to the NPG in 2013.

With almost 130 studio portraits from the 1950s up to the ’90s which captured a range of famous faces including David Bowie, Laurence Olivier and Nell Dunn on display, alongside images from the Private View series that pushed the 1960s British art world in front of the lens, this exhibition shows how moments in culture can be eternal when a legendary photographer plays his part.

Snowdon: A Life in View, The National Portrait Gallery, St Martin’s Place, London, WC2H 0HE
Until 21st June 2015

The pumpkin’s generous unpretentiousness
If you haven’t seen any of Yayoi Kusama’s unbelievable Infinity Dot works or her pumpkin sculptures you’re in for a right treat courtesy of the Victoria Miro Gallery in Islington. Her now somewhat iconic hallucination induced circular mark makings are as now well known as the works of Stephen Sprouse and Richard Prince through the mutual Louis Vuitton collaborations they’ve all shared – difference being the 85 year old artist has been exhibiting these pumpkin inspired works alongside Andy Warhols since the 1960s and shows no signs of stopping just yet. Well worth a gander.

Yayoi Kusama: Pumpkins,Victoria Miro Gallery, 16 Wharf Rd, London, N1 7RW

Yayoi Kusama reading her poem 'On Pumpkins' from Victoria Miro on Vimeo.

Why have a burger when you can have a BIRD?
It comes to stand that if we treated chicken in the same way as we have recently with the once humble beef burger then we’d have a plethora of fantastic fried chicken restaurants and dishes in the city. More of a gourmet one-stop for a well conceived fried poultry plate-full than a bog standard chicken shop, BIRD on Shoreditch high street aims to elevate fried chicken far above our conceived junk food pre-concepts whether you opt for the traditionally American fried chicken and waffle combo, wing baskets or asian inspired sides. The chicken sandwich is damn good, as are the ingredients – happier free range chickens, rapeseed oil fried everything and fantastic fresh dips and slaws made daily on the premises. There’s also the doughnut and coffee hatch open from 9:00 everyday for those midday office slump refuels. Brilliant.

BIRD, 42-44 Kingsland Road, London, E2 8DA

Singapore Slings and pork puffs = alliteration aplenty
Chances are it’s been a long week. Sun’s setting earlier, clocks will be going back before we know it so it’s good to draft your winter drinking map sharpish. Begin with Rita’s on Mare Street, who’ve opened basement bar Night Elm. A classy edition to the ever expanding strip featuring stellar drinks and cocktails alongside an unusual selection of bar snacks – hot bean devilled eggs and honey BBQ pork puffs, anyone? Think boozy classics and booze absorbers with an east asian kick. That’ll do for us.

Night Elm, 175 Mare Street, London E8 3RH